


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Maybe)

by Ribbonlette



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Sledding, Snow, Snowball Fights, Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 21,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5329274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ribbonlette/pseuds/Ribbonlette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snow and sweaters and mistletoe - oh my!</p>
<p>30 day winter challenge! These are all unrelated drabbles, so have fun!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sweaters

Shizuo loves sweaters. Wearing sweaters is one of his favorite things about winter, if he’s entirely honest. He loves the look of them, he loves the soft texture of them, he loves the hand-made, personal feeling of them. Really, sweaters are just great.

Izaya, however, hates them. He claims they’re scratchy and tacky (as if that jacket isn’t?) and an overused trope. 

It frustrates the hell out of Shizuo. There are all these cute, matching sweaters and without someone to wear them with, Shizuo feels very left out. But he has no one other than Izaya to wear matching sweaters with and Izaya is an ass who likes to threaten to burn every sweater Shizuo brings in the house. He had considered asking Celty, but he just knew Shinra would flip out if he thought Shizuo was flirting or something.

Then comes the day that Shizuo comes home from work to find Izaya draped across the couch, fast asleep. This image in itself is already rare, as Izaya rarely sleeps, but something about it makes Shizuo stop and stare. It takes a moment for Shizuo to fully comprehend what he's so baffled about, but when it clicks a broad smile spreads across Shizuo's face.

Izaya is wearing one of Shizuo's sweaters. It's one of the darker red designs, with an argyle stripe across the chest in black and a lighter red. That in itself is so very fitting for Izaya but the fact that it's maybe 3 sizes too big makes the raven look like a kid. He's practically drowning in it, his hands not even visible in the sleeves.

In a word, Izaya is fucking adorable.

It takes all of Shizuo's willpower not to just lean down and smother his adorable boyfriend in affection. Instead, he turns away so he can get changed into something other than his bartender uniform, hoping that Izaya doesn't wake up before then.

He doesn't. Shizuo is able to sneak back downstairs in sweat pants and his blue version of the sweater Izaya stole and tiptoe back over to the couch. Very carefully, he lifts Izaya up, doing his best not to jostle him, then situates himself on the couch with Izaya's head on his lap. Izaya shifts some in his sleep, a small whine escaping as he starts waking up. Shizuo just pets softly at Izaya's hair, a fond - though slightly smug - smile on his face. 

It takes Izaya a moment to register his change in position as his eyes blink open, but when he does, he groans. Shizuo's smile widens.

"Oh, shut up. Maybe sweaters are comfortable sometimes."

"So does that mean we can get matching-"

"No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if I can manage to do another 30 day challenge! this one is actually 31 days but yknow. 31 day winter themed this time, woo!! hopefully i'll think of a better summery later, but i'm already a day behind so... let the month of cold wintry fluff begin~


	2. Snowball Fight

Snow really is not Izaya’s thing. He gets too cold too easily; that’s why he wears a big jacket all year round! Izaya hates the cold and snow is not only cold, but also wet, and that’s even worse.

So naturally, Shizuo loves it.

It doesn’t take much snow for Shizuo to be dragging Izaya to the park to play in it. Izaya spends most of the time rolling his eyes and shivering in the cold, glaring around at anyone who stops to gawk at the grown man making snow angels and snowmen in the snow without the excuse of children to entertain. Shizuo on the other hand doesn’t seem to notice the stares of the few people to pass by and really, it doesn’t take long for a park to clear when Ikebukuro’s Fighting Doll is there.

Soon enough, there are three good sized snowmen lined up in front of the bench Izaya is curled up on. His shivering has gotten no better, but he has stopped paying attention to anything Shizuo is doing. Izaya’s attention has turned entirely to his phone, clicking through his various information network outlets, so he doesn’t see the snow flying toward him until it hits him square in the face.

Shock sets in quickly and Izaya is left blinking around him in confusion. His cheek stings with the impact and cold and Shizuo is nowhere in sight.

“Shizu-chan. What the hell do you think you’re doing? I hate snow…” Izaya wipes at his face, trying to get rid of the offending coldness, only to have another snowball hit him right in the side, causing him to jump. He glares around, trying to figure out where this assault is coming from. Unfortunately Shizuo is still hiding somewhere and Izaya can feel a scowl forming on his face.

“Alright…Two can play at that game.” Izaya shoves his phone in his pocket and stands before slowly leaning down and scooping up some snow. He packs it together in his hands as he circles toward the snowmen, his eyes scanning the park for any sign of blond hair. 

Another snowball flies past Izaya’s ear and the raven whips around, quickly launching the snow in his hand at the flash of gold ducking behind one of the snowmen. There’s a yelp and Izaya is grinning, scooping up another handful of snow as he advances on his opponent.

“Caught you, protozoan.” Izaya circles around the snowman, ready to shove snow in Shizuo’s face, only to yelp and stumble back as he’s caught right in the face again. Deep laughter rings out as Izaya swipes at the snow on his face, trying to regain his bearings, only to see Shizuo racing away from. With a sharp inhale of irritation Izaya is chasing after him, scooping up snow and launching it at Shizuo as he goes. Shizuo continues to run, spinning around every so often to throw projectiles back at Izaya, missing almost every time. Finally Izaya manages to nail Shizuo in the back of the head just as he’s ducking behind a tree. Izaya lets out a small whoop of victory and quickly advances, wanting to catch Shizuo before he can get any more ammo.

Unfortunately, Shizuo is faster than that and manages to hold Izaya off for quite a while. Soon enough, Izaya finds himself wrapped up in his desire for revenge. It’s not easy to get the upper hand in a snowball fight however, and Izaya ends up pushed back to his bench, ducking behind it and using it as shelter in the ongoing battle.

Eventually, Shizuo manages to trap Izaya behind the bench and catch him off guard, tackling him into the snow and pinning him to the ground. Izaya tries to glare up at him but his lips won’t quite cooperate and Shizuo is grinning down at him with the most radiant smile Izaya has ever seen.

“I knew I could get you to play in the snow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at these losers, throwing snow at each other... wow...


	3. Hot Chocolate

“Shizu-chan, I’m freezing.”

“Just give me a minute, I’m coming.”

“But Shizu-chan, I’m _freezing.”_

Shizuo rolls his eyes and continues mixing chocolate powder into two mugs. His hair is still dripping from melted snow and the winter cold still clings to his skin. After a long afternoon in the snow, he’s shed his jacket and boots and changed into a comfortable sweater and sweatpants. 

“Here you go.” Shizuo brings the mugs over to Izaya’s spot on the couch and hands one down to him before plopping down beside him with a sigh. Izaya is similarly dressed, only in more layers. He’s in baggy sweatpants, very uncharacteristic of Izaya, but much comfier than the skinny jeans he tends to wear, not to mention warmer. His long sleeve shirt is covered by a sweater stolen from Shizuo’s collection, dark red and too big. Curled up on the couch with his cheeks still flushed pink from the cold, Shizuo has to admit Izaya is extremely adorable sometimes.

"Nm..." Izaya stares at the mug suspiciously, hesitant to drink it. "This isn't poisoned, is it?"

"Of course not." Shizuo rolls his eyes and sighs exasperatedly before taking a sip from his own mug. He loops one arm around Izaya's shoulder and pulls him closer and Izaya complies, tucking himself against Shizuo and soaking in his warmth. He still looks wary of the mug however.

"You know, I'm immune to most poisons by now. Namie's made enough attempts, I don't think you could poison me."

“Is that so…” Shizuo can’t help the small tinge of concern at that, but Izaya says it so casually, Shizuo lets it go for now. Besides, he can understand Namie’s desire to poison her boss; Izaya isn’t exactly the easiest person to work with. “Well then I guess you have nothing to fear anyway.”

“Except the sweetness.” Izaya watches Shizuo take another sip, his face screwed up in a frown. “You know I’m not big on chocolate…” Izaya’s frown deepens when all he gets for a response is a snort.

“I know that! Have you even smelled it?” Shizuo is smirking at Izaya in the way Izaya usually smirks at Shizuo, as if he’s won some game by knowing more. Izaya doesn’t like it. “I made yours with coffee.”

Izaya’s face lights up at that, though he tries hard to hide it and his cheeks turn pink instead. A small huff disrupts the steam coming off his mug before Izaya takes a small sip. Shizuo’s expression is smug and Izaya is tempted to throw the scalding liquid at him.

“You could have just told me that, you ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is basically a continuation of the last chapter, if you want it to be. also hot chocolate made with coffee instead of water (ew) or milk is actually really good. add in a little amaretto creamer.... that's the best. tho izaya would probably complain about that still being too sweet....


	4. Books

Izaya has a large collection of books.

Shizuo often wonders where he obtained some of them and what the motivation for getting them was. The psychology books make sense, what with Izaya's obsession with humans, as do all of the business and finance volumes - Izaya's business cards say he's a financial adviser after all - but some don't quite seem to fit.

There is an entire shelf in Izaya's mini library dedicated to mythology books. The kind of mythology spans from Japanese to Celtic to Greek to various mythologies from countries Shizuo has never heard of, and the depth of the books vary as well; some seem more like children's books than textbooks. Many of them aren't in Japanese and Shizuo is struck once again by how smart Izaya actually is. But either way, Izaya seems to have a fascination with mythology and it seems baffling to Shizuo.

Despite all of Izaya's god talk, Shizuo didn't think he was all that serious. 

However it seems as if Izaya is at least serious in his pursuit of knowledge on such a subject and it has Shizuo's curiosity peaking. This is another side to Izaya that Shizuo knows basically nothing about and it's frustrating as hell. Why must Izaya be so secretive all the time?

So Shizuo does some research. He gets some vague knowledge of what Izaya's books are about, though it's difficult to get very far when so many volumes are in languages Shizuo doesn't understand. Finally, on a cold winter day, Shizuo pulls one of the books off the shelf and flops next to Izaya on the couch. 

"Shizu-chan? I'm trying to watch the news, what do you need?" Izaya irate tone disappears when Shizuo wordlessly shoves a book in his face. Izaya scowls before taking the book from Shizuo's hand and skimming the cover. A confused frown tugs at his lips as he looks back up at Shizuo. "... The _'Odyssey'_? What does Shizu-chan want with the _'Odyssey'_?"

"I-um..." Shizuo frowns and stares resolutely at the tv screen, not really paying any attention to what the newscaster is saying. Swallowing his pride and asking Izaya for this is hard. Shizuo already wonders daily why someone as smart as Izaya would want to be with someone like himself. Their rivalry has been a constant and admitting a weakness to an enemy is hard. But they aren't really enemies anymore and Shizuo wants Izaya to share this thing with him.

"I can't read Greek." Shizuo scratches at his cheek nervously, glancing over at Izaya and away again. "Could... could you read it to me?"

It takes a moment for Izaya to understand what Shizuo is asking. But then comprehension dawns on his face, followed by a sweet smile that Shizuo could almost swear was filled with excitement. 

"I would love to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one might be my favorite so far. I love books and I love the idea that Izaya is very multi-lingual and would have a bunch of book in various languages that he can at least read even if he doesn't speak the language much. And Shizuo wanting Izaya to share more of himself with him just... ahhh they're so adorable.


	5. Ice Skating

Shizuo scowls as Izaya sails past him gracefully. A smile adorns the raven's face and normally Shizuo would be thrilled to see such a genuine expression from him, but right now he's just too busy trying to keep his balance.

It turns out ice skating is much harder than Shizuo had thought. 

Despite this however, he refuses to ask for Izaya's help. His pride would never allow him to stoop so low, especially with Izaya grinning at him like that. So instead he just stumbles and slides along near the wall, watching his feet as he tries to figure out how to get them securely beneath himself. This is proving rather difficult.

"Shizu-chan is just trying too hard!" Izaya sails past him again, perfectly balanced and appearing to almost float above the ice with how graceful he is. It's not fair at all.

"Shut up, flea! I don't need your snarky little comments!" Shizuo growls after the little parasite. The only response he gets is laughter as Izaya sails away to make another lap around the ice. Shizuo continues making his way around the rink, very slowly getting the hang of balancing. It’s frustrating, but eventually he can skate slowly forward in a relatively straight line without falling all over himself. He’s still wobbly, but at least he’s not falling over.

“You’re getting it!” Izaya comes up from behind Shizuo to skate a bit in front of him. The infuriating man is skating backwards so he can smile at Shizuo. “I’m impressed! Shizu-chan isn’t clinging to the wall anymore!” That parasitic smile grows as Shizuo’s annoyance becomes evident in his growl.

“Did you come over here just to gloat?” Izaya’s smile turns into a mock pout. However, there is a light in Izaya’s eyes that hints at something more akin to true happiness.

“Oh Shizu-chan, you wound me!” This exclamation is followed by a giggle and then Izaya is lunging forward to grab Shizuo’s hands. “I just came over to see if Shizu-chan wanted to skate with me now!”

"Fuck-" Shizuo barely has time to let out a sound of half-formed protest before Izaya is pulling him forward, farther away from the wall. They pick up some speed and Shizuo tries to hide his nervousness as his hands grip Izaya’s tightly.

“Don’t worry Shizu-chan, I won’t let you fall.” Izaya’s smile is reassuring for all of fifteen seconds.

“Probably.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered embarrassing Izaya more by having him not able to skate but then i figure we should pick on shizuo a bit instead so this happened. izaya is still an ass but at least he's having fun?? no that can't be right... at least he hasn't stabbed anyone. yeah that's better.


	6. Big Jackets

If there is one thing Shizuo hates, it's big winter jackets.

He hates having to wear them because it seems like he can never find one that fits right. If the sleeves fit, the body is too big. If the body fits, the sleeves are too small. To make it even worse, he can never find one that leaves him at a comfortable temperature. Either he’s sweating or freezing, there never seems to be an in between.

Izaya on the other hand loves them. And Shizuo has to admit, he loves seeing Izaya in them. Sure, Izaya basically wears a jacket all year round, but in the winter he wears a bigger one and it just might be one of the most adorable things Shizuo has ever seen. The reason for this is that Izaya’s heavy winter jacket makes him look like he’s drowning in fur. The hood is big along with the rest of the jacket and when Izaya is all bundled up in it he looks even tinier than usual. It has Shizuo smiling despite himself.

And with Izaya all bundled up, his nose bright red and his face flushed from the cold, Shizuo really can’t take the blade in his hand seriously. Sure, he’s annoyed that Izaya has shown up to mess with him during work yet again, but he just looks like such a little kid, shivering in the cold, that Shizuo can’t make himself get truly mad at him.

So rather than continue this pointless fight, Shizuo glances around to make sure they truly are out of sight in this alleyway he chased the flea into. Izaya looks confused, but Shizuo just impales the stop sign in his hand into the ground and quickly makes his way over to his shivering flea.

“Shizu-chan, what the hell are you-” Izaya is cut off as Shizuo wraps his arms around him and buries his face in Izaya’s shoulder. Izaya stiffens, confused and not sure how to react to public displays of affection as their relationship isn’t exactly a public matter. “...Shizu-chan, someone is going to see us.”

“Sorry. It’s just…” Shizuo pulls back and smiles down at Izaya, practically on the verge of laughing. “You look so tiny and cold and that jacket makes you look like a kid.”

When they leave the alleyway a few minutes later, Izaya’s face is flushed red from more than just the cold and his knuckles are dripping red to match Shizuo’s bloody nose. Despite the punch to the face however, Shizuo is still smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izaya is just too adorable to handle at any given moment, basically??? i don't know. either way, Shizuo's poor nose...


	7. Sledding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight AU: 6 year old children

Getting Izaya to come sledding with him was the hardest part. Despite being only 6 years old, the small boy was extremely stubborn and didn’t like being told what to do. But Shizuo is really stubborn too and refused to give up until finally, Izaya agreed to come with him!

(Mrs. Orihara threatening to take away the video games if they didn’t stop yelling in the house may have helped too.)

Unfortunately, Izaya is also very good at pouting and complaining and spends most of his time doing so.

“The snow is all wet, Shizu-chan!”

“It’s fine, just get on the sled!”

“But what if we run into something…”

“Nothing bad is going to happen, Izaya! I promise.” Shizuo tugs his mitten off and holds his pinky finger out to his shivering and nervous friend. “I’ll protect you, okay?”

Izaya stares hard at the small hand in front of him, then at Shizuo. His eyes are wide and serious, a worried light in them slowly being replaced with trust. Shizuo is so strong after all, there’s no way anything really bad can happen with him.

“...Okay.” Izaya pulls off his mitten as well and links his pinky with Shizuo’s, sealing the promise with the resolute conviction that 6 year olds tend to have. Shizuo smiles widely before grabbing Izaya’s hand and tugging him up the hill.

“This’ll be lots’a fun, you’ll see!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having such a hard time imagining them managing to go sledding as adults (plus i wrote that fic a while ago) so i decided to make them children because they're just so fucking adorable as small children. so there you go.


	8. Snow Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raijin era AU~

They're 17 and Izaya insists they're too old for this. Shizuo says that Izaya needs to relax and stop acting like such a total buzzkill. But it’s hard to relax when he’s freezing his ass off and Shizuo is insisting that he lay down in the snow.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

“Shizu-chan, I thought we grew out of this when we started middle school…”

“There just hasn’t been enough snow since middle school!” Shizuo waves Izaya off and attempts to pull him off the sidewalk again. Izaya glares, frustrated about Shizuo’s strength for once as he’s slowly sliding into the snow with each tug.

“You’re lucky we’ve been friends for so long, or I might have cut your hand off by now…” Izaya’s mumbled threats hardly reach his friend. Even if they did however, Shizuo would probably just scoff and say Izaya couldn’t actually cut his hand off anyway. With Shizuo’s strength that may be true, but Izaya certainly wouldn’t hesitate to try.

Shizuo notices Izaya getting lost in thought and uses that to his advantage. With one sharp tug Izaya is falling toward him, a shrill yelp escaping. Shizuo puts his arm out to capture his friend, but his feet get tangled up and just like that they’re both hitting the snow with a soft _whump._

“What was that for, you brute!” Izaya splutters and Shizuo laughs. He stretches his arms and legs out, moving them back and forth to make a snow angel as best he can with Izaya still sprawled on top of him. Izaya makes no move to get up however, instead focusing on clearing the snow from his face and adjusting to be in a more comfortable position on top of Shizuo. “This is entirely unnecessary.”

Shizuo just grins up as him before wrapping his arms around Izaya’s waist. “I dunno… I think it was worth it. You look pretty with snow in your hair like that.” Izaya’s face is already pink from the cold, but Shizuo swears he sees it turning red as he continues.

“Like my own personal snow angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just love these two as teenagers messing around... also Shizu-chan is the most embarrassing person ever, good gods.


	9. Candles

Shadows dance across the walls. They distort the room, making the whole world seem to come alive with new shapes and life. The shadows are too vague to reveal anything beyond a distortion of the occupants of the room, but that suits them just fine.

Red eyes reflect the flickering of the candles lighting the room with warmth and Shizuo has never been so mesmerized by the color. It seems to swirl around him and pull him in, a warm embrace that at one point he would have seen as poisonous. And perhaps it still is. Perhaps he has just become too wrapped up in it, too familiar with the embrace to notice its negative effects, but honestly, Shizuo couldn’t care less. 

It is in that gaze that Shizuo has found a place to call his own, a strange sort of safety in a world that can’t truly hurt him but scares him nonetheless. Shizuo has always been terrified of destroying the world around him, of having nothing left to come back to when he has finally calmed down. In this way, all of the world is a threat.

Somehow however, the biggest threat became his safety. Those red eyes, filled with poison and surrounded by sharp, deadly angles, have become a place of peace. In this flickering light, too low to reveal much beyond their closeness, those angles soften. In the peace that comes with the dark of night and the gentleness of a candle’s light, Izaya becomes less deadly.

Gentle fingers slowly caress Shizuo’s hair, petting him gently as he lays sprawled on top of Izaya. He listens to the quiet thump of Izaya’s heart in his chest, a small part of him still amazed that a heart is something someone like Izaya even has. It was beating fast when they first collapsed onto the couch like this, Izaya’s skin heated and flushed. It has since slowed down, though the warmth radiating between them has stayed.

The heat of anger under Shizuo’s skin has finally changed to a warm feeling of satisfaction and he has his poison to thank. Izaya’s presence is soothing in the strangest way, in a way Shizuo never thought possible. Perhaps it is the candles lighting the room, but Shizuo can’t help but think that Izaya must have softened himself just for him. He can’t imagine any other reason.

Shizuo sighs, and hugs Izaya a bit tighter for a moment, getting a soft kiss to his forehead in response. Yes, even with all his deadly angles and his poisonous eyes, Izaya is Shizuo’s safe place.

And in the quiet between their breaths, Shizuo almost says as much out loud.

Almost…

...but not quite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh yes, calmness. calm cuddly intimacy is probably one of my favorite things to write, to be entirely honest. but of course, saying the L word out loud isn't something Shizuo can make himself do.... maybe someday~


	10. Snowed In

_“But Izaya-”_

“I’m sorry Shizu-chan. You know I want to go, but there’s just so much snow… I’d freeze to death before I got there! If I wasn’t hit by a car first. Did you hear about the accident in Shibuya?”

_“That’s all the way down in Shibuya though.”_

“And Ikebukuro is even farther north than Shinjuku.” Izaya adjusts the phone so he can hold it to his ear with his shoulder. His hands now free, he sets about cleaning up the papers strewn across his desk. “The weather is worse up there and I am not going out in this. I’ll come up next week, okay?”

_“Ikebukuro isn’t that far north, it’s not any different…”_ Shizuo’s grumbling from the other end of the phone has Izaya sighing. He was supposed to go over to Shizuo’s tonight after his meeting, but with increased snowfall, Izaya has found himself practically snowed in. The weather has gotten worse and worse as the day goes on and with near constant sirens heard in the distance, Izaya really just doesn’t want to risk going out.

Shizuo doesn’t like this plan, however.

_“But we were supposed to have a movie night…”_

“I know Shizu-chan.” Izaya sighs yet again, straightening and shifting his weight, turning to look out the window behind him. One hand rests on his hip as he watches the snow come down. “We’ll just have to do it next time. It’s not like you’re never going to see me again.”

_“I want to see you now.”_ Izaya has to admit that he agrees with that sentiment. They have both been so busy recently and the next week is going to be equally as exhausting. Izaya has practically double booked himself this week, and honestly he’s not looking forward to it. But with the snow coming down faster than it the roads can be cleaned up, Izaya just doesn’t want to risk going out.

“I want to see you too. Really, I do. But I can hear sirens and I already hate snow-”

_“What if I go there instead?”_ Shizuo’s voice is hopeful and almost excited at this idea.

Izaya hesitates. Then, reluctantly: “Well, I suppose I couldn’t stop you… But it’s so cold out, and with all the accidents…”

Shizuo’s immediate assurance that nothing could possibly go wrong prevents Izaya from responding further, and the next thing he knows, Shizuo has hung up. Izaya stares at the phone for a few moments, not really sure how to feel about this. He hates the cold, and though he knows Shizuo doesn’t mind it, he still doesn’t really want him out risking the dangers of sudden snowstorms. Izaya glances out his big window to see the heavy snowfall and frowns.

If Shizuo gets hurt getting over here, he’s going to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't as cute as it could be, but i like the idea of these two actually planning to get together, like a normal couple. doing normal things.
> 
> also important to note and keep in mind for all of this fic... it really doesn't snow much in Tokyo. maybe a few inches at most and it doesn't typically stay. but if i know anything from living in places where it doesn't snow, when it DOES, everything shuts down. so... izaya is refusing to go out for like, two inches HAH


	11. Quilts

“...What is that.”

Shizuo jolts in surprise at Izaya’s question. Pain shoots through his finger in that moment and he lets out a small surprised yelp, jerking his hand up to his mouth and tasting blood. Izaya is chuckling in amusement behind him and Shizuo’s face is starting to heat up in embarrassment as he refuses to turn around.

“I thought you were going to be out late tonight.” Shizuo dodges the question, not wanting to explain what all the yards of fabric in front of him is. He inspects his finger with a frown, noting the small drop of red where he pricked himself with a pin. Izaya doesn’t take the bait however and instead leans over Shizuo more, trying to get a better look at this strange project of his.

“I got done early. Are you sewing something? Why are you sitting on the floor with a bunch of ripped up clothes?” The amusement in Izaya’s voice has Shizuo’s hackles rising, his face coloring in embarrassment as his shoulders move up toward his ears. It’s that exact tone that has Shizuo chasing this bastard through the streets and right now Shizuo really would prefer that over his current situation.

“It’s nothing, alright?” Shizuo’s tone is harsher than he means it to be but he hadn’t wanted to get caught like this and he’s starting to feel a bit like a cornered animal. “Why don’t you just… go take your ridiculously long bath and not worry about it, yeah?”

Izaya isn’t listening to him however. Instead, he’s circling around Shizuo and skirting the edge of the large square of fabric. His sharp eyes are taking in the cobbled together pieces of fabric and the excessive amount of pins, scanning the whole project with the air of someone who knows he’s making the creator nervous. And nervous Shizuo is as he fidgets restlessly, annoyed at Izaya for getting home early but mostly just wanting to sink into the floor.

After a long moment, Izaya looks back at Shizuo, a small smile growing on his face. “Are you making a quilt?”

Immediately, Shizuo’s face heats up more and he looks away, one hand moving to rub the back of his neck. “You just… always look so cold so I thought… you could use another blanket. And I have all these fabric scraps from clothes you’ve destroyed, so…” Shizuo trails off as Izaya moves back over to him. He almost misses Izaya’s words with how distracted he is by the unusually gentle kiss pressed to his forehead.

“Shizu-chan is so thoughtful. I can’t wait until it’s finished.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh Shizu-chan, it's nothing to be embarrassed about!! i always figured that Shizuo would love hand-made gifts and so would sew on occasion if there was something he really wanted to make for someone... and so quilting. poor man doesn't know what he's getting himself into


	12. Mistletoe

Shizuo never really understood the point of mistletoe. It’s such a useless tradition that just puts people in awkward situations. It embarrassing and stupid and really, what kind of sadist came up with this idea anyway?

(The hopeless romantic in him may or may not think about how nice it would be to be caught under it with someone he likes, but that feeling will never see the light of day.)

And right now, he really _hates_ mistletoe, because he is currently stuck in one of those awkward situations. As he glares up at the mistletoe above him, feeling his face heating up to a nice cherry red, a small chuckle sounds in front of him.

“Oh my, Shizu-chan. It seems we’ve ended up in a rather… embarrassing situation.”

The voice swirling amusement up at him grates on his ears and it takes all Shizuo’s 16 years of practiced willpower to not punch a hole in the wall. Or Izaya’s face. Slowly his gaze moves down to instead glare at the strangely triumphant look in those blood-swirled eyes. Izaya looks rather pleased with himself as he blocks Shizuo’s only escape from the classroom and in turn traps him under this hated tradition.

Why today, of all days? With the winter holiday right around the corner, Shizuo was hoping he would be able to avoid detention or additional work. Unfortunately the flea seems insistent on making Shizuo’s life hell, as per usual.

“Get out of my way, Izaya-kun.” The barely suppressed hatred and anger in Shizuo’s voice is hot enough to burn and yet Izaya’s grin just grows. Rather than moving away, the damn flea just shifts closer, one hand moving up to trace a circle on Shizuo’s chest.

“But Shizu-chan. We’re under mistletoe.” A gesture up and then Izaya is leaning even closer. Shizuo’s face gets hotter still as he feels the classroom become hushed, all eyes on the two dangerous forces blocking the classroom door. “We have to appeal to the holiday tradition gods~”

“No we fucking don’t! Get out of my way!” Shizuo can feel his rage building right along with his embarrassment. If his face suddenly catches fire with how hot it is, Shizuo won’t be surprised. The entire classroom has started whispering now and Shizuo is sure rumors will be flying through the halls just minutes after this whole episode is over. Why Izaya insists on making his life hell through any means possible - including ways that would seem to hurt Izaya himself - is beyond him.

“Shizu-chan is so boring. Dotachin and Shinra played along with me…” Izaya is still leaning in, playing with the front of Shizuo’s shirt. At the mention of Kadota and Shinra, Shizuo looks into the classroom to find the two guilty parties, one trying to hide behind his textbook while the other watches on in amusement. Of course Shinra would enjoy Izaya’s shameless display; they really are both horrible people.

“Yeah, well they really shouldn’t be encouraging you, so-” Halfway through his rebuke, Izaya cuts him off by taking advantage of his distraction and surging up toward him. Shizuo is sure that his face can’t get any redder as he feels something soft and warm brush the corner of his mouth, a sensation completely unlike what he was expecting from the flea. A strange sort of spark runs down Shizuo’s spine and then Izaya is pulling away, laughing as he dances over to collapse on top of Kadota as if nothing happened.

Shizuo stands stunned in the doorway, his face feeling like it might catch fire. He watches blankly as Izaya drapes himself all over their friend, trying to get his attention and being the all around obnoxious nuisance that he is. After a few minutes, everything finally registers and suddenly Shizuo is pissed.

Izaya kissed him.

And now, if the desk being held above his head is any indication, Izaya is going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh teenagers and mistletoe. what absolute losers. there's a good chance that was shizuo's first kiss too... haha oops.


	13. Snowmen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4 year olds AU

“That is the most disformed snowman I ever saw.”

“So?! Don’t make fun of him for being a little different, Izaya! He’s doing his bestest!” A small, boot clad foot stomps on the snow in frustration. Shizuo puffs out his cheeks as his shoulders raise up in defence. Izaya just shrugs and goes back to patting at his own snowman.

“Well my snowman is doing his bestest too, and he’s doing better! Yours is just weird lookin’.” The smugness of a 4 year old makes Izaya beam, proud of his smooth, well formed snowman. It’s a combination of two small balls of snow and extra snow packed around it, but snow is surprisingly heavy so Izaya couldn’t do the more “traditional” looking kind. At least it’s nice and smooth and pretty looking though.

Shizuo’s weird strength let him stack three snowballs on top of each other, but the end result isn’t as pretty. The middle ball is the biggest one and the whole thing looks unbalanced, as if it could fall over at any moment. Plus, it’s not all nice and smooth. Izaya likes nice smooth snowmen.

Despite Shizuo’s pouting, Izaya continues with his work of packing more snow onto his snowman. After a few moments however he hears a strange sound comes from Shizuo and followed by a big _whump_ as snow suddenly flies everywhere. Izaya yelps and plops down into the snow, a big pile of the stuff landing in his face. Once he manages to get the snow out of his eyes, Izaya looks over at Shizuo to try and figure out what happened.

The spot where Shizuo’s snowman just was is now empty. Instead there is just Shizuo, his face red and his nose running, shoulders heaving as he glares at the spot where his snowman used to be. Izaya blinks at him in confusion before opening his mouth.

“Where did your snowman go?”

“...I punched him.”

“...Why?”

Shizuo looks over at Izaya with a baffled expression, as if he’s not really sure of the answer himself. Izaya slowly gets to his feet and moves over to Shizuo. He looks sad and is covered in snow, so Izaya sets about patting the snow off of Shizuo like his nanny always does for him when he falls in a snow pile and starts crying or something. Shizuo sniffles.

“B-because he wasn’t very good…”

“Yeah.” Izaya agrees, but frowns. Shizuo seems really sad now without his snowman. And if Shizuo destroyed his snowman because Izaya said it wasn’t good then… Izaya is kind of sad about it too. So with all the deductive skills of a 4 year old determined to make his friend feel better, Izaya makes a decision.

“Well… mine’s not very good either.” Izaya announces before turning around and punching his own snowman. This unfortunately does not have the same effect as when Shizuo did it. Instead it just leaves a small dent in the packed snow and makes Izaya’s hand hurt. But he’s determined, so he’s not going to let that stop him! “...Shizu-chan! Punch mine too!”

“But…” Shizuo tilts his head to the side, confused. “But yours is good.”

“No it’s not!” Izaya shakes his head vigorously, bouncing up and down some. “C’mon, Shizu-chan! Punch it!”

“...Alright…” Shizuo is still unsure, but he steps up to Izaya’s snowman anyway. With one quick punch snow is flying everywhere, covering the two small children even more than they already were. This time, Izaya delights in the effect, giggling and clapping his hands. Izaya’s reaction has Shizuo perking up some, a small, shaky smile tugging at his lips.

“Shizu-chan is like, a super person! It’s amazing!” Izaya giggles some more and gives Shizuo a hug. Then he takes Shizuo’s hand and tugs him forward. “C’mon, let’s make a snowman together this time! A huuuuuuge one! And then you can punch it too!”

Shizuo’s shaky smile solidifies as Izaya’s excitement catches him as well and he can’t help but go along with Izaya’s silly plans, his earlier sadness entirely forgotten. Four exploded snowmen later, two small, tired children collapse into the snow giggling and happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small children awwwwww! and all because in trying to come up with a good word i typed out "disformed" and that was just so childish izaya was turned into a little kid haha


	14. Hot Baths

If there is one good thing about winter it's that you can use the cold as an excuse to take long, hot baths.

This is the thought that runs through Izaya’s head as he relaxes back into his steaming bathtub. The bubbles are piled high around him and Izaya sighs, swirling the bubbles around a bit. After a long day running around the city, it’s nice to finally be able to just sit back and relax for a while.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Of course you can, Shizu-chan~”

Having someone warm to relax with is definitely a plus too. Izaya glances at Shizuo, looking him up and down with a slight smile on his lips. Just an hour ago this man was chasing him through the streets, threatening to break his leg. The whole scene makes Izaya laugh, but what amuses him even more is the fact that they can go from violently fighting each other to handling each other with such care. It’s a fact that still baffles him in some ways, and yet he enjoys it beyond belief. It’s a part of their relationship that he honestly doesn’t want to give up.

(Shinra likes to point out that that is a little bit fucked up, but Izaya tends to ignore Shinra’s opinion on such things. Besides, with how Shizuo and Izaya clash, they couldn’t change it if they tried.)

And as Shizuo climbs into the large bathtub behind him, Izaya finds that he just can’t keep the uncharacteristically soft smile from his face. Shizuo’s arms wrap around his waist and pull him closer. Izaya relaxes further as Shizuo’s chin comes to rest on his shoulder. For a while they just sit together, soaking in the hot water and enjoying each other’s company. It’s quieter than they have been all day, and it’s a peace they both enjoy greatly.

After just sitting together for a while, Shizuo nuzzles at Izaya’s neck before leaning forward and snatching a washcloth off the side of the tub in front of them. Izaya sits up a bit more as Shizuo gets some soap on the cloth and lathers it up, only to sigh again as Shizuo sets about washing off Izaya’s back and shoulders, massaging gently as he goes. A quiet hum escapes into the air between them as Shizuo’s hands move gently over Izaya’s skin, trying not to press too hard on any of the bruising there.

“...I really nailed you today, huh…” Shizuo mumbles quietly. He passes the cloth over a particularly bad bruise, a frown on his face. “I didn’t mean to actually hit you with that.”

“I know you didn’t.” Izaya rolls his shoulders, his voice just as soft and relaxed as Shizuo’s. He’s not going to complain about the bruises. Sure they’re a bit sore, but he provoked Shizuo and got what he wanted: an angry chase. Bruises are the least of what he should expect from pissing off someone who can throw vending machines with ease. “I’m fine with it though. It doesn’t hurt all that much, really.”

“Still…” Shizuo leans down to press a kiss to Izaya’s shoulder. “I’ll give you a massage after your bath if you want. To make up for it.” His voice is as soft as his touch as Shizuo continues washing Izaya’s body, now moving on to his arms. A smile tugs at Izaya’s lips as he leans back against Shizuo’s chest, feeling warm and happy - a rare feeling for him.

“I would like that. And then maybe we can put on a movie. You can pick.”

“Sounds good.”

Yes, hot baths and having someone to share them with really is the best thing about winter, Izaya thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so many ways this could have gone but instead these two are just going to act normal for once, i guess.


	15. Winter Hats and Mittens

Shizuo looks like a child.

That is Izaya’s assessment of this situation at first glance. And second glance. Really, the longer he stares, the more Shizuo begins to resemble a middle-schooler.

Shizuo has a blue knit hat on his head. It tilts to one side precariously and Izaya wonders how he managed to find a knit hat that is actually too big for him. But this alone doesn’t make Shizuo look like a little kid; oh no. The thing that makes him look like a little kid is the knit hat combined with the mittens. 

Mittens of all things! 

Izaya just can’t believe it. Who even wears mittens after hitting age twelve? It’s baffling.

And yet here Shizuo is, 27 years old and wearing blue mittens to match his hat. Izaya would be appalled if he wasn’t so busy just trying to understand why Shizuo thought this was a suitable fashion choice. What makes it worse is the fact that they’re getting ready to go out to dinner on one of their (extremely rare) dates. Izaya is not going to be seen in a nice restaurant with the oaf dressed like… that.

“I’m not going out with you if you’re wearing that.”

Shizuo pauses in tugging his jacket on to stare at Izaya in confusion. After a moment he looks down at his jacket with a frown then back up at Izaya. “I don’t see what’s wrong with this…?”

“Not your jacket.” Izaya rolls his eyes in exasperation and steps closer to Shizuo. He tugs at the side of his hat, then at one of the offending mittens. “These. You look like a little kid or something. We’re are not going to the restaurant with you looking like you were dressed for school by your mother. I mean, mittens? Honestly…”

“What’s wrong with mittens?” Shizuo’s offended scowl has Izaya sighing. Of course Shizuo would have some attachment to said mittens. “They’re warm and functional. And besides, who cares what I wear? We’re just going to eat dinner.”

“At a nice restaurant.” Izaya gestures down at himself and then at Shizuo, indicating the nicer clothes he’s dressed them in. (Because Izaya did in fact dress Shizuo up until this mitten fiasco. There’s just no way Shizuo would be able to dress himself for a nice restaurant.) “I picked our outfits to complement each other, and your… _additions,”_ Izaya’s lip curls as he sneers a bit, “...are messing it up. We don’t match.”

“Oh. Well if it’s about matching…” Shizuo heads back into the bedroom, Izaya trailing warily behind. Izaya’s eyes widen in horror as Shizuo pulls a red hat and mitten combo out of a bag, clearly of the same design as Shizuo’s. Two fingers rub delicately at Izaya’s temples; he swears he can feel a headache coming on. “These would fix that right?”

Izaya stares at Shizuo in annoyance, not entirely sure how to handle this situation. Shizuo now looks so proud of himself that telling him no seems like a crime. But really, those mittens are a fashion crime in and of themselves. Finally, Izaya sighs and moves over to snatch the horrible articles of clothing from Shizuo’s hands.

“Yeah alright. But just this once, understand? I’m going to burn these after.”

Shizuo’s radiant smile is the only thing that makes the embarrassment worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh i'm so late today... but managed to post this!! the holidays are unfortunately interfering, but hopefully i won't get too far behind


	16. Shaking From the Cold

Izaya really doesn’t do well with the cold. It’s an obvious fact, what with him wearing a jacket all year round, but Shizuo is only now seeing just how badly Izaya is affected by it.

The slight man is curled up on the couch, blanket wrapped around him and still shivering. His nose is bright red from having just gotten into the house and with melting snow still dripping from his hair, Shizuo almost feels bad for him.

Almost.

Except he doesn’t, because Izaya in all of his shivering glory set a group of thugs on him as if they were back in high school and Shizuo is just a bit bitter. He already got his revenge for the most part after chasing Izaya around the city and dumping him in a pile of snow. However, this means that he’s not going to feel bad about the fact that Izaya is cold. Not one bit.

“Shizu-chan is so mean…” Not even if he whines about everything.

“I’m mean?” Shizuo flops down onto the couch next to Izaya, taking a drag of his cigarette. Izaya wrinkles his nose, but this is Shizuo’s apartment so he can smoke if he wants. “You’re the one regressing back into old habits and sending people after me. What the hell was that for, anyway?”

“I was bored.” Izaya sneezes and sniffles some, drawing the blanket closer around him as he glares at Shizuo. “I hadn’t seen you for nearly a month and I missed our fights. I didn’t think it would end in me freezing though…”

“...You were bored.” Shizuo glares straight ahead at the wall as he takes another rough drag from his cigarette. Of course Izaya would do something so ridiculous out of boredom. Of fucking course. The shivering pile of blankets next to him huddles up some more, hiding Izaya’s face.

“...Yes.”

Shizuo frowns at the strange tone to Izaya’s voice. Something about it is reluctant and it has him thinking over Izaya’s words again. After a moment Shizuo finally sighs and stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table. Clearly, Izaya is in a mood and Shizuo is slowly realizing what that mood actually is.

So rather than continue to be annoyed, Shizuo wraps his arm around Izaya’s shivering form and pulls him into his lap, blankets and all. There are a few protests as Shizuo calmly pulls the blankets out of the way, but then he’s wrapping his arms around Izaya’s waist and the small annoyed sounds die off.

“You know… if you miss me so much you can just call.”

As Izaya’s shivering starts to calm down, he buries his face in Shizuo’s shoulder. Shizuo can feel his damp hair against his cheek and tugs the blankets around them a bit more, rubbing one hand in circles on Izaya’s back to try and warm him up and stop the ridiculous shaking.

“...Shut up. I lost the cell with your number in it.”

“...Wow Izaya.”

“I said shut up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically, izaya is really fucking tsundere~ and also just can't handle that cold at all haha.


	17. Shoveling Snow

Shoveling snow is not something Izaya expected to be doing today. He lives in Tokyo, after all! Where would he have to shovel snow? But of course he isn’t in Tokyo right now. This fact in and of itself is disappointing, but the fact that he’s not even in a city just makes things worse. No, instead he is all the way up in the mountains of the Akita prefecture and this fact is really starting to grate on his nerves.

Stuck out in the middle of nowhere, nearly knee-deep in snow and shivering his ass off. This isn’t exactly how he expected to spend his vacation. At this point, Izaya is starting to think it would have been more relaxing to take another job from Shiki-san.

Anything to be in the city.

However, Izaya is trying not to whine too much. The only reason for this is because Shizuo seems to be enjoying himself so fucking much. As Izaya shivers in the cold, barely moving his shovel, Shizuo works hard about ten feet away, shoveling snow with a diligence that Izaya just doesn’t understand. Shizuo is so focused on his work and as Izaya watches him, the whole scene strikes him as being really... right. With the snow flying behind him and the concentrated look on his face, Shizuo looks like he is in his element. 

It’s such a strange thought, yet it has Izaya pausing and leaning on his shovel to think about it more. Izaya always felt like his place was in the city. Of course it would be; nowhere else is there the flow of people and life that Izaya so craves. By extension, Izaya always pinned Shizuo as belonging in the city as well, but watching him here… Part of Izaya wonders if Shizuo wouldn’t flourish in the country, maybe running a little shop or even a farm. He certainly has the strength and focus for it. Though with his typical uniform, Shizuo would look rather strange on a farm…

“Oi! Izaya! Helloooo?”

Izaya jumps, blinking a few times before focusing on the voice calling his name. When he does finally find Shizuo’s face he nearly jumps again, as he’s no longer ten feet away; instead Shizuo is right in front of him, staring at him curiously. “Wh-what?”

“I’m done.” Shizuo gestures toward the now clear driveway they had been shoveling, a note of pride in his voice. Izaya can’t help the small smile on his lips. “We can go back inside now, if you want. I’m sure the lady at the desk will give us some tea; this is an inn after all and she seemed really nice.”

Honestly, Izaya is barely listening to Shizuo anymore at this point. He’s still off in his daydream, imagining Shizuo working on a farm. He would have cows for sure, and probably treat them like pets. Moving hay or the animals would be no trouble with Shizuo’s strength, as he could just pick them up and carry them wherever he needed. And surely Shizuo would ditch the bartender outfit and get something more suitable for farm work, like jeans. Probably plaid too, let’s be honest. And in the winter when he gets all bundled up to go shovel snow, getting all focused and working hard…

“Izaya!”

“Huh?” Izaya blinks in confusion as something jabs into his cheek. His gaze slides sideways to catch Shizuo’s confused frown and see that the thing jabbing into his cheek is in fact Shizuo’s finger. “What?”

“You keep spacing out.” Shizuo ever so lightly flicks Izaya’s nose, a small smirk of sorts slowly forming on his lips. “And staring at me while doing so. Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Izaya stares at Shizuo for a moment, taking in the happiness and satisfaction of a job well done that’s coming off of the brute in waves. The slight slouch that tends to be in Shizuo’s shoulders is currently missing, and this all has a warm sort of feeling spreading through Izaya as well. Shizuo seems to really be enjoying this - despite them being snowed in at an inn in the middle of nowhere - and Izaya is surprised to find Shizuo being so happy is making him happy as well.

“Oh… nothing.” Izaya can’t keep the slight smile off his lips as he turns to head back toward the inn. His gloved hand finds Shizuo’s mittened one and clutches it tight. “I was just thinking that you’re really good at shoveling snow. You reminded me of a dog digging up its bone or something.”

“Now that’s just mean, Izaya-kun.” Shizuo pouts slightly but gives Izaya’s hand a small squeeze. Izaya’s smile grows by a fraction of an inch.

Maybe they’ll have to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere again sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember how it doesn't snow much in Tokyo? that fact made this one really hard. but it ended up being cute so i'm totally okay with that. also Izaya just tends to space out and get absorbed in his own thoughts a lot.... interesting.


	18. Hibernating

If Izaya didn’t know any better, he’d think Shizuo was some sort of bear/human crossbreed. The reason for this is the fact that come winter Shizuo seems to go into hibernation. Shizuo is always a heavy sleeper and certainly loves his sleep, however it seems that when the weather gets cold, all Shizuo wants to do is sleep.

Well, Izaya supposes that isn’t entirely true. Shizuo doesn’t just want to sleep. What he wants is to stay in bed all day, whether sleeping or otherwise. Of course sleeping is something he does a lot of, but if he can get Izaya in bed for any reason, he will. Izaya can’t really say he minds all that much of course. Most of the time Shizuo has the courtesy to wait until Izaya is done work for the day (or should be done work for the day) before dragging him upstairs. However, it certainly tends to get a bit.... excessive.

Izaya thinks so anyway as he finds himself lying in bed next to a sleeping Shizuo once again. He was dragged from work a bit earlier tonight, with the excuse that he had worked nearly all night the night before and now Shizuo deserved some extra time. However, as Izaya quietly watches Shizuo sleep, he has to admit he doesn’t mind that excuse too much. He is pretty exhausted after pulling an all nighter the night before, after all.

Unfortunately, he just can’t seem to fall asleep. Shizuo sleeps like a rock; he has the luxury of being able to lie down and almost immediately fall asleep. Izaya on the other hand tends to stay awake for hours after lying down, just going over the day and the schedule for tomorrow and every stray thought that may float through his head.

The thoughts floating through his head right now aren’t about work or what he needs to get done or anything like that. For this he is grateful, as those things are all exhausting. No, the only thing running through his mind as he plays with a bit of Shizuo’s hair is that he’s happy.

It’s a strange feeling for Izaya, this happiness. It’s not the same as what he’s always called ‘happy.’ Happy was watching humans scramble through their lives. Happy was messing with teenagers online. Happy was being above and apart from everyone and never getting hurt. But Shizuo destroyed all that. Shizuo blasted into his life and crumbled down all of the walls that Izaya had built to protect his idea of happiness.

Shizuo shifts in his sleep, a small hum escaping. Izaya freezes, holding his breath as he watches Shizuo’s features scrunch up then relax into something that Izaya swears is a smile. It makes him wonder what Shizuo could be dreaming about. Mostly though, it makes Izaya smile as well, soft and gentle.

Yes, the happiness he feels now is very different from what he used to call ‘happy.’ In fact, Izaya is starting to think that he hadn’t really been happy with those things and that the reason this feels so different is because it’s real happiness, rather than a delusion. But then, maybe it’s the other way around and this happiness is the delusion. Maybe…

As Izaya lies down next to Shizuo, that ‘maybe’ echoes in his mind. However, he can’t find himself worrying about it too much. Instead he pulls himself closer, cuddling against Shizuo and marveling at the beast’s ability to hibernate and all he can think is…

If this happiness is the delusion, he never wants to see reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was tempted to save this one and make it the last one... but the prompt for the last one is so perfect, i just can't. either way, izaya has been thinking a lot in these last few...


	19. Cookies

With the holidays coming up, things have gotten very busy at work for both Shizuo and Izaya and the stress has been taking it’s toll. More and more people are trying to pick fights with Shizuo while on the job and it’s all accumulating to make this the most stressful month of the year. On top of that, Izaya has been getting so many calls to get mundane information combined with his more typical jobs that he’s had Namie working overtime so he can actually manage to get to his meetings.

All in all, life has been chaotic. But finally - _finally_ \- they’ve both gotten a day off. Izaya managed to schedule himself a gap on a day that Shizuo doesn’t have work and they’re both more grateful than they would have expected. Izaya actually sleeps in past 7, something Shizuo doesn’t think he’s ever seen. Even sick, Izaya gets up early.

As such however, Shizuo ends up having the apartment to himself for a while. He makes breakfast for himself, enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning. After breakfast he seats himself comfortably in Izaya’s desk chair, sipping at a mug of hot chocolate and staring contently out the window. The view out Izaya’s large floor to ceiling windows is snow covered and picture perfect. It could almost be a holiday card or something.

Thinking about holiday cards and holidays and everything that goes along with them gives Shizuo an idea. Leaving his mug on Izaya’s desk, Shizuo heads into the kitchen. It’s been awhile since he’s had the time to actually do anything in the kitchen, and the amount of take out containers that have to be cleared away is atrocious, but soon enough Shizuo has everything cleaned up. With the amount of counter space Izaya has, there’s plenty of room for Shizuo to pull this off, and he quickly sets about pulling out all the things he’ll need.

\----

Half an hour later, Izaya stumbles down the stairs. He’s still rubbing at his eyes and yawning as he makes his way through the main room, only to pause when he sees a mug on his desk. He picks it up, fairly sure he didn’t leave it there last night, only to make a face in disgust when the the smell of cold, over-sweet hot chocolate hits his nose. Clearly, Shizuo has already been up for a while. 

It’s as he’s turning to continue toward the kitchen that he smells something else that makes him frown. There’s more sweetness wafting through the air, though this sweetness definitely isn’t chocolate. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Izaya makes a beeline for the kitchen.

What he finds there isn’t as surprising as it once would have been, but is certainly a bit overwhelming. The sweet scent is strongest here, and it’s obvious where it’s coming from. 

Nearly every surface in the kitchen is covered in cookies. Gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, sourdough cookies, to name a few. Izaya can’t name most of them on sight, but he’s sure the tall blond carefully spreading frosting on them could. With a small, exasperated sigh Izaya moves over to Shizuo.

Shizuo doesn’t react when Izaya’s arms wrap around his waist and his head presses against Shizuo’s back, which catches Izaya a bit off guard. It’s such a calm, domestic action that normally Shizuo would jump and be extremely concerned about why Izaya of all people would do such a thing. However Shizuo is so focused on his task that at first he doesn’t seem to really register that Izaya is there.

“Shizu-chan… Why are you turning my kitchen into a bakery?” Izaya sleepily mumbles the question into Shizuo’s back. Really, after how long this month has been, Izaya is still far too tired for this.

“I realized that we haven’t had any cookies in a while and with the holidays coming up…” Shizuo sets down another finished cookie and picks out a new frosting color before start to frost the next one. “I figured it would be a good day to do some baking, that’s all.”

Izaya laughs quietly into Shizuo back. It’s been three years since they started spending holidays together, and if there is one thing Izya has learned about Shizuo, it’s that he always makes far too many sweets during this time. It actually has nothing to do with the holidays, however, and everything to do with the stress the holidays cause.

Shizuo is in fact a stress baker, and Izaya finds this highly amusing.

Giving Shizuo a small squeeze, Izaya lets him go, instead moving to make himself some coffee so he can actually feel awake. He leans against the counter, looking around at all of the cookies that have taken over his kitchen and watching Shizuo intently frost said cookies. At least this means he won’t have to spend money on gifts for all of his less important clients. And maybe he can give some to Namie as a bonus. She’d probably just take it as some sort of passive aggressive move on Izaya’s part, but keeping her guessing is half the fun.

When the coffee is done, Izaya pours himself a cup and finally speaks up again, pointing out the real reason he’s sure Shizuo is making all of these cookies.

“You thought about Shinra’s holiday party coming up, didn’t you.”

“...He’s just so exhausting.”

“Agreed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look Shizuo is such a stress baker and i love it okay. he makes some many sweets whenever anything gets stressful and at some point izaya is just going to start selling them i s2g


	20. Scarf

Izaya isn’t really sure where Shizuo found this scarf, but honestly, he’s a bit impressed.

The damn thing is nearly ten feet long and weighs a ton. Izaya personally wouldn’t want to try walking around wearing that, if only for the fact that it would probably cause him back problems. Not to mention the fact that the blinding rainbow pattern of it is just a horrid fashion disaster.

Shizuo however, loves it. He’s been playing with it since he brought it home, wrapping it around himself in various ways. He’s even gone up to the bedroom multiple times and Izaya is sure he’s using the large mirror in there. Izaya doesn’t say anything about it, but as he continues tapping away at his computer, it gets harder and harder to keep his amused chuckles quiet.

Finally, Shizuo calms down. He seems to find a comfortable way to wrap the scarf around his neck and settles onto the couch. The quiet hum of one of Kasuka’s movies soon fills the room and Shizuo’s ridiculous scarf fades from Izaya’s mind. The clicking of computer keys and the sound of movie explosions is the only only interruption for the silence for quite a while.

About half way through the movie, Izaya sighs and pushes himself up. He’s been organizing information for hours now and at this point he’s rather sick of it. Stretching his arms above his head, Izaya heads into the kitchen to make himself some coffee. Of course the coffee machine takes forever and now Izaya is starting to regret pulling an all-nighter last night as he stares at the coffee pot, willing his eyes to stay open.

As such, Izaya is caught completely off guard when arms wrap around him from behind. He jumps and lets out a small squeak of surprise before realizing who it is. Shizuo is laughing at him anyway and Izaya pouts. Shizuo nuzzles at Izaya’s neck, amusement clear in his voice.

“I told you to get some sleep last night.” 

“I didn’t have time. Too much to do.” Izaya relaxes back against Shizuo, rubbing at his arms. Now that Shizuo’s warmth is radiating into his back, Izaya realizes that the apartment is actually kind of cold. A shiver runs through him as goosebumps raise on his arms. “Did you turn the heat down?”

“Of course.” Shizuo’s matter-of-fact tone irritates Izaya, but his coffee is done and he’s more focused on that than telling Shizuo off. “You always keep it so hot in here and I thought we were going to start melting. Besides,” Shizuo lowers his voice to a gentle murmur, his hands sliding down to Izaya’s stomach then on to slip over his hips. Izaya shivers for an entirely different reason than the cold. “You wouldn’t need the heat to keep you warm if you’d just finish working and spend some time with me.”

“I’m trying to organize some files. I don’t have time for you right now.” Izaya does his best to ignore Shizuo’s increasingly wandering hands as he sips at his coffee. Honestly, Shizuo has such a one track mind sometimes. “Besides.” Izaya bats Shizuo’s hand away from his ass as he twirls out of his grasp, smirking. He pointedly looks Shizuo up and down. “I’m not doing anything with you while you’re wearing that scarf. You look like a child.”

With that, Izaya turns to go back to his desk. Impressively, Shizuo lets him go with only a small huff, instead going back to his movie, still wearing the ridiculous scarf. Izaya stares at him from his desk, frowning and annoyed that he’s actually disappointed Shizuo didn’t push him more. That small bit of teasing has him realizing just how long it’s been since they’ve done so much as cuddled on the couch. Now, as he tries to focus back on his work, Izaya instead finds himself craving Shizuo’s touch, in any form at all.

But admitting that would be admitting defeat, now wouldn’t it?

Of course, Shizuo doesn’t let him work for much longer. It isn’t 20 minutes later that Izaya feels his chair pulled back from his desk. He’s spun around and comes eye to scarf with Shizuo, a slight frown on his face. For a moment, he had been excited. But then he realized Shizuo was still wearing the offending article of clothing and his hopes were dashed.

“I thought I told you I wasn’t doing anything with you while that scarf was on your body.” The slow grin that graces Shizuo’s features sends a nervous shiver up Izaya’s spine. He hasn’t seen that look since the last time Shizuo caught him in an alleyway with full intentions of making sure he couldn’t walk home correctly.

“Oh, I’m not going to be wearing it.” Shizuo’s grin widens as he unwraps part of the scarf with one hand, his other hand gathering up Izaya’s wrists. Izaya doesn’t realize Shizuo’s intentions until a good portion of the scarf has been used to bind his arms. “You are.”

As Shizuo’s lips crush against Izaya’s in a breathtaking kiss, Izaya thinks that maybe the scarf isn’t so bad, if Shizuo is going to get creative with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and then they ruined the purity of the scarf. gdi shizuo. but honestly, if izaya just paid attention to shizuo more this wouldn't happen. maybe played some chess with him or something. or cards. well, if izaya has a chess board or a deck of cards that isn't burnt...


	21. Soup

The winter months are for soup. That’s what Shizuo insists as he pushes his way into Izaya’s apartment with bags of groceries on his arms, looking determined and ready to use Izaya’s kitchen to it’s fullest. Izaya just stands back and watches him go with a sort of tired resignation. The closer they’ve gotten, the more Shizuo comes over to use Izaya’s state-of-the-art kitchen, so sights like this have gotten relatively commonplace. Izaya just lets him go and heads back to his desk to work.

Four hours later, Shizuo brings Izaya a mug of black coffee that is only slightly too weak. Izaya smiles gratefully at him and leans back in his chair. He takes in Shizuo’s appearance as he takes a sip. Slightly frazzled, with his bangs sticking to his damp forehead, most likely from standing over a steaming pot for hours. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows and that ridiculous cow apron is tied around his waist like usual.

“So? Is it edible?”

Shizuo looks a bit dazed at the question, staring at Izaya blankly for a moment. Izaya raises an eyebrow. Finally, Shizuo nods. “Oh. Yeah. Well, not yet. It needs to sit for a bit. But that’s fine, since we’re not eating it anyway.”

“We’re not?” Izaya is confused by this. Why did Shizuo spend four hours making soup they aren’t going to eat?

“No. Actually, I um…” Shizuo rubs the back of his neck and Izaya realizes that the coffee was a bribe. “I came out to ask you for your help. I need to get this soup to the park in Ikebukuro and I’m not really sure what the best way would be…”

Izaya stares at Shizuo. This is not what he was expecting at all. He had noticed that Shizuo had way more ingredients than the two of them would eat, but he had figured Shizuo was just making lots so he wouldn’t have to worry about Izaya skipping lunch the next few days. He tends to do that after all.

Apparently, that assumption had been wrong. Izaya takes a big gulp from his coffee. Looks like he isn’t finishing this job today.

“How much did you make?”

“...Five big pots.”

“...Give me a few minutes to call in some favors.”

\----

Two hours later, Izaya finds himself shivering in the cold with his hood pulled up over his face to avoid being recognized as he ladles soup into bowls in Ikebukuro Park. He isn’t handing them out; that is one job he refused to do. But saying no to Shizuo’s pouting puppy eyes is not easy, so Izaya agreed to at least stay and help by ladling out the soup. He then hands the steaming bowls to Shizuo, who in turn delivers them to the various people lined up around their tent.

Somehow, Shizuo had gotten involved in a sort of soup kitchen. It’s a group of people who set up every year around the holidays and serve hot meals to anyone in the park. It’s advertised as being open to everyone so that it isn’t shut down by the police, but a majority of the people gathered in the park are clearly homeless or struggling for food. The grateful faces of the people accepting what is probably the first warm meal they’ve had in awhile has a strange tightness squeezing at Izaya’s chest.

He works to ignore that little bit of humanity in the back of his head however and focuses instead on the people running the tent. Unsurprisingly, Celty is there. Izaya assumes she is how Shizuo got involved with this. Naturally Shinra flits around her, talking his head off. He gave Izaya an amused look when he and Shizuo showed up, but luckily the glare aimed to kill was enough to shut him up. For now anyway. Izaya is sure Shinra will never let him live this down.

Interestingly enough, Izaya sees quite a few people from Awakusu-Kai around as well. There is a tent set up with entirely crab dishes, so Izaya can guess Akabayashi must be involved in this somehow. And he swears he sees Shiki’s white suit sometimes, but doesn’t get a good enough look to be sure. Either way, he’s definitely bringing this up at their next meeting. Izaya supposes it isn’t all that strange that the yakuza would be involved in this however. This is Awakusu turf after all, and with the amount of young runaways that they take in, they have at least some compassion for those on the street.

That would also explain why the cops haven’t broken this up yet.

“There are more people than I expected.” As the rush calms down, Shizuo comes to the back, sighing. He pulls Izaya into a hug, leaning against him tiredly. Izaya hugs him back, grateful for the break as well. Honestly, this isn’t how he expected to spend his afternoon and evening. “Thank you for helping out with this. I know it’s not really… your thing.”

“...You’re welcome.” Izaya mumbles into Shizuo shoulder, not really sure how to respond. This really isn’t his thing. Charity and being nice to people without some sort of return are two things that just aren’t in his nature to do. Shizuo on the other hand is probably the purest and kindest person Izaya has ever met. And honestly? That’s one of the things that draws him to Shizuo and getting to see Shizuo so happily in his element was actually really nice.

Not that he’ll ever admit that.

“You owe me some soup, though.” Izaya pulls back to smirk up at Shizuo. He’s half joking, trying not to fall into the habit of expecting a reward for his help, and despite Shizuo’s laugh, he can tell Shizuo knows Izaya is trying.

“Yeah alright.” Shizuo leans down and presses a kiss to Izaya’s lips, tugging his hood around them more to hide them when he refuses to pull away. Izaya comes away from the kiss red faced and breathless and is starting to think that he should help Shizuo do more nice things if he’s going to be kissed like that.

“I’ll get you some more when we get home, I promise.”

“You better.” Izaya pouts, not willing to give up his “heartless bastard” mask. “You forced me to stand in the freezing cold being nice to people with nothing in return after all.” Shizuo just laughs and gives Izaya another drawn out kiss.

“Yeah, yeah, quit whining. Doing something nice for people isn’t going to kill you.”

“...It might.”

“It won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> santa shizu-chan, out to feed all the people of ikebukuro. izaya needs to stop being such a grump and accept that being nice to people is an okay thing to do jeeeez


	22. Huddle for Warmth

“Shizu-chan, I’m cold.”

“You’re always cold, flea.”

“Shizu-chan. Warm me up.”

Shizuo sighs in exasperation. Izaya has been following him around all day, bothering him at work. Now he’s done work and they’re heading home but Izaya has yet to give him a moment of peace. You’d think the trashcan aimed at his head would have been enough of a hint.

The seats of the bench are cold as they wait for the train back to Shinjuku. Izaya is practically climbing into Shizuo’s lap, he’s so close. It’s a baffling closeness considering Izaya’s opinions on public displays of affection - mainly that they are horrible - but then, there is only one other person at the station with how late it is, so Shizuo supposes there’s isn’t anyone around to see.

Plus, with how bad Izaya is shivering, it’s amazing he hasn’t vibrated off the bench.

“Where is the train? This is taking too long. Why did you have to work so late today?”

The complaints are getting more and more irritating however and Shizuo just wants the shivering man to shut up. Unfortunately, it seems that no matter what he says, Izaya refuses to be quiet. It’s almost as if he thinks the hot air produced from all his babbling could possibly warm him up somehow.

“Is it snowing? I don’t have time for the whole city to shut down over a little snow, nor do I have the patience for it to be that cold. Shizu-chan, my fingers are freezing!”

Finally, Shizuo gets sick of Izaya’s incessant complaining. With a loud, exasperated sigh, Shizuo turns and grabs Izaya, lifting him off the bench and pulling him into his lap. Izaya is too stunned by this action to react immediately, and this moment of shock gives Shizuo enough time to grab both of Izaya’s hands in his.

“Shut up would you?” Shizuo pulls Izaya’s hands close, rubbing them gently between his mittened ones and blowing warm air on them. The bright red of Izaya’s cheeks is surely from more than just the cold and Shizuo fights the urge to squish Izaya’s face. He’s just so adorable when he’s all embarrassed like that.

“Wh-what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“You said you were cold, so I’m warming you up.” Shizuo smirks at his sputtering boyfriend and gives his fingertips a kiss. “Guessing by the color of your face now, you might be overheating instead. So I’d say it worked.”

“...When is the train getting here? I need to throw you under it.”

“Ooo nope, still frosty.”

“I’m going to kill you in your sleep!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shizuo is a constant embarrassment jeeeeez


	23. Sick

Honestly, Shizuo’s immune system just isn’t fair. As Izaya pulls the blankets closer around him, that’s all he can think. He’s only seen Shizuo sick maybe one or two times in all the years they’ve known each other, whereas Izaya himself gets sick at least twice a year, very consistently.

It just isn’t fair at all.

“How are you feeling?” Izaya blinks blearily up at Shizuo as the unfairly healthy man leans down to place a hand on his forehead. The frown on Shizuo’s face annoys Izaya for all the wrong reasons, but he’s just so exhausted, expressing it seems like a lot of work. “Still warm… This fever needs to break soon, or I might have to call Shinra to look at you.”

“No way.” Izaya’s voice isn’t much more than a weak croak, but his protest is still just a vehement. “Shinra is just going to laugh at me and tell me to get more rest. I have too much work for this…” Shizuo just sighs as Izaya tries to push himself up for the fifth time in the past half hour.

“Oh no you don’t.” Shizuo pushes Izaya gently back down, shaking his head. “You have no work to do right now. Just lie here and get some rest. You being such a workaholic is why you’re this sick to begin with.”

“But Shizu-chan-”

“No buts.” Shizuo’s voice is firm as he tucks the blankets back around Izaya tighty. Izaya is sure he’s trying to make it so he can’t move. “I’m going to make you some tea, and then you are going to sleep more. Got it?”

A pout graces Izaya’s features. Shizuo just shakes his head in response and ruffles Izaya’s hair. And then he’s gone, disappeared into the kitchen to make tea. Izaya lets his eyes fall closed, giving in to Shizuo’s insistence that he needs rest, even if just for a moment.

Turns out that “moment” lasts a lot longer than he expects however. In what feels like just seconds after Izaya has closed his eyes, Shizuo is returning with a steaming cup of tea. The mug is set on Izaya’s nightstand, and Shizuo is seating himself on the edge of the bed. Izaya frowns at him in confusion, blinking sleepily and sniffling.

“...Fast.”

“Hm?” Shizuo raises one eyebrow, not quite understanding what Izaya is talking about. Until he notices Izaya staring at the tea anyway. “Oh. Heh, no, not really. You fell asleep, Izaya.”

“...Oh.” Izaya feels a bit frustrated that he actually fell asleep, but with how heavy his eyelids feel, he’s guessing it won’t be long until he’s asleep again. He squirms, trying to get his hand out of the blanket only to give up in a few seconds when the attempt exhausts him. “Shizu-chan…”

“Yeah? What’s up?” Shizuo is very attentive to him and it strikes Izaya just how ridiculously lucky he actually is. He’s fairly certain that Shizuo would run to the store to get him anything he asked for, no matter how ridiculous.

“Stay here with me.” He’s not quite sure what he’s asking for with this request, but Izaya is about to fall asleep again and the idea of waking up alone isn’t really very appealing. Plus he’s shivering again and everything feels gross and having Shizuo around is a comfort, even if they aren’t actually interacting. 

“Of course.” Shizuo’s smile is soft as he leans over and brushes a bit of hair from Izaya’s sweat damp forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. Now go to sleep, Izaya. You look exhausted.”

“Not without you,” Izaya whines, squirming to try and get his arms out of the blankets again. Unfortunately they’re still trapped and he’s still exhausted so this doesn’t work out so well. Shizuo sighs and watches Izaya quickly exhaust himself again. He seems fairly out of it with this fever, considering he’s apparently still worried about Shizuo leaving despite him making no move to do so.

“Alright, alright. Hang on just a sec…” Shizuo gently relents, standing so he can pull the blankets out from around Izaya. He then climbs under them, gently nudging Izaya to the side so he can fit. As soon as he’s close enough Izaya is latching onto Shizuo’s shirt, clinging with an impressive grip considering how weak he is at the moment. “There. See? Not going anywhere.”

“Yeah… not going anywhere…” Izaya’s voice isn’t much more than a sleepy mumble as Shizuo pulls him close, letting him bury his face in Shizuo’s chest. The heat radiating off Izaya’s body is concerning considering he’s shivering and usually almost cool to the touch. Shizuo holds him a little tighter, willing him to feel better soon. As cute as Izaya is when he’s clingy like this, Shizuo doesn’t like seeing him miserable.

In moments, Izaya is asleep. Shizuo sighs and watches the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Izaya looks peaceful for the first time all day and the smile on Shizuo’s face is gentle and fond.

And quickly interrupted with a sneeze. Shizuo frowns. Hopefully he’ll still feel fine when Izaya wakes up. He doesn’t think they can handle both of them being sick.


	24. Socks and Boots

“So? What do you think?”

The smirk on Izaya’s face is near infuriating. Shizuo can’t look at it for long, can’t look at Izaya at all, really. He’s being obnoxious after all, and staring will only be doing what he wants. But then, as Shizuo’s face heats up with a light dusting of red, he realizes that looking away will also be giving in to Izaya’s teasing. Basically, there’s no way to win.

Izaya got some new boots. So of course, he just has to show them off. This in and of itself wouldn’t be so bad, if it weren’t for the fact that Izaya has to be completely obnoxious about it.

In order to show off his boots, Izaya decided to model them… wearing only underwear, one of Shizuo’s shirts, and thigh high socks. The outfit itself is actually fairly ridiculous, but it shows off Izaya’s legs and hips and Shizuo really can’t handle this.

It certainly doesn’t help that Izaya likes to act like some sort of stripper just to make Shizuo’s face turn red. 

Which it currently is as Izaya stands on the bed behind Shizuo with his leg thrown over Shizuo’s shoulder in order to show off said boots. Shizuo is doing his best not to fall into this obvious trap, but Izaya is quite good at this whole teasing thing.

“Well? You like? I think the slight heel does some marvelous things for my legs, yknow?” Izaya’s voice is shaking in barely contained laughter and Shizuo wants to punch him. Instead he just stiffens and tries not to stare at Izaya’s leg too much. He’s failing miserably, but he’s still going to try.

“I don’t really know about that kind of thing. So why don’t you put some pants on, huh?” Shizuo swallows hard as Izaya adjusts to climb over Shizuo’s shoulder (how ridiculous can he be?) and slide down into Shizuo’s lap. “Don’t you have work today?”

“Not until later.” Izaya’s cheerful smile is enough to have Shizuo’s face twitching in annoyance. Really, Izaya just loves to tease way too much. “I’ve got plenty of time for now. Besides, don’t you want to feel how soft my socks are? They’re new too.” Izaya’s smile widens as he grabs Shizuo’s hand and guides it to his thigh. Shizuo looks resolutely away, but he can’t really say that he doesn’t like the socks. Izaya has really nice legs after all, and they’re kind of hard to ignore. Shizuo’s fingers twitch slightly against Izaya’s leg, half wanting to run his hands from Izaya’s soft, sock covered knee all the way up to the thin expanse of skin between where the sock ends and the shirt begins.

“This isn’t typically how people try out new snow boots…” Shizuo ventures, trying to distract Izaya from the fact that his face is red and he’s shifting uncomfortably. The effort doesn’t mean much however as something completely different comes to shatter Izaya’s focus instead.

“Orihara-san! I’m here, which means it’s time for you to stop goofing off and sign my paycheck.” The irate voice of Izaya’s secretary cuts through the room from downstairs. Izaya’s smile returns to being that of an excited child as he jumps up.

“Ah, Namie-chan~! You must look at my new boots!” Izaya doesn’t even bother putting on pants as he bounces cheerfully out of the room, just as shameless as ever. Shizuo is speechless as his boyfriend flounces downstairs to show off his boots.

The sound of Namie loudly berating Izaya for not having any pants on filters up from downstairs and Shizuo drops his head into his hands.

“How am I supposed to leave without her glaring at me now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izaya is shameless and outrageous and i love it~


	25. Foggy Breath

Cold air bites at pink cheeks. Grasping fingertips curl into shirt fronts, hoping for warmth and to pull the wearer closer. The world is white with snow and frosted over, but the rough wall at Izaya’s back is starting to feel less like ice as everything seems to warm up.

That’s the benefit of dating(?) someone as hotblooded as Shizuo. The man seems to produce an abundance of body heat and Izaya is extremely grateful. With the cold winter air stinging his skin, it’s nice to have Shizuo’s warmth close and spreading through him. The warmth makes itself visible between them in the form of small puffs of fog. Bursts of it escapes between kisses as Shizuo presses Izaya against the alley wall, clinging to him almost as desperately as Izaya is clinging to Shizuo. 

It’s been so long since they had some privacy. Even now, they don’t really have time to themselves, just kisses stolen in the brief moments they manage during Shizuo’s break. It’s the busy season after all and managing any time off for either of them is proving near impossible. The hardest part about it is that even their sleep schedules don’t match up, meaning they don’t even get the luxury of sleeping together anymore. It’s practically hell.

So even if it’s in small bursts of smoky breath, they will take every moment they can get to be together. Just to feel the others' warmth, their closeness. Eventually they will have time to do more, to have a full conversation rather than small snippets around the desperation to just feel each others' presence, but for now they will make due with just clinging to the few minutes they have before Shizuo’s break ends.

For now, it’s enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so short i'm sorry but i like it so...


	26. Skiing

“This is a bad idea. Why do I ever listen to you?”

“Oh stop worrying, Orihara-kun. You’ll be fine.”

“Shut up, Shinra. I’m going to break my leg. Nature hates me like that. Can’t we just go back to Tokyo?”

“Not until the trip is over. We don’t have a ride…”

“...Dammit.”

School trips are the worst, in Izaya’s opinion. The reason for this is that they never seem to go places Izaya enjoys (such as cities or places with lots of people or yknow, _anywhere that isn’t nature_ ) and instead go places that make Izaya incredibly nervous.

This trip was to a ski resort up on Mount Fuji. Izaya honestly isn’t sure how the school can afford this, as Raijin isn’t exactly a rich school, but that is beside the point. The point is, Izaya is surrounded by cold, wet snow in the middle of nature and he hates it.

So naturally, Shizuo is having the time of his life.

Izaya can see him about twenty feet away, talking to Kadota. He looks happy and less stressed than Izaya has seen him since the beginning of term. It’s frustrating as hell and pisses Izaya off. That brute enjoying himself while Izaya freezes his ass off up on this mountain just isn’t fair at all.

“If you keep staring like that, people are going to start talking.”

“I’m glaring, not staring.” Izaya turns said glare back to Shinra. Of course Shinra is totally relaxed and amused by everything, as usual. Normally, Izaya enjoys this quality in Shinra, but right now it’s just getting on his nerves. “Besides, people are already talking. Don’t listen to every rumor you hear, Shinra.”

“Oh, I don’t need to listen to rumors to know…” Shinra’s knowing smile just pisses Izaya off anymore.

“There isn’t anything to know, asshole.” Izaya’s scowling as he watches Shizuo head down the slope. He lets out a huff of annoyance before pushing away from Shinra, telling himself it’s because Shinra is annoying and not because he wants to follow Shizuo.

Despite his own denial however, Izaya does follow Shizuo. His reluctance and nervousness is making skiing difficult however and the snow isn’t as smooth as it had looked. He bumps and slips over the snow, hoping he doesn’t look as completely grace-less as he feels.

Everything comes to a sudden halt however when Izaya’s ski gets caught on something in the snow. There’s a jerk on his leg and then Izaya is pitching forward, a very unflattering cry of surprise escaping his mouth as he goes tumbling down the mountain. Stinging snow, much harder than Izaya had imagined, scratches at his face and the white-green-blue, white-green-blue blur of the world is spinning fast enough to make Izaya dizzy.

This doesn’t last all that long. At least, not until it gets worse. Only a few moments after the world begins to tumble around him, Izaya feels something that isn’t the ground smash into him. Suddenly gold has been added to the blur of colors and something is wrapping around his head. The next impact with the ground is muffled and then he’s just sliding, soon enough coming to stop.

Izaya is stunned. He lies on the ground, his head aching and feeling like he’s going to puke. All he can see is a dark gold and a bit of white and that would be really confusing if he wasn’t so focused on the fact that not only does his head hurt but his ankle is throbbing.

Something moving under him jolts Izaya out of his daze and has pain shooting up his leg. He groans in pain, trying to curl up and not puke.

“Shit- I’m sorry. Are you okay? I was just trying to keep you from hitting that tree…”

Izaya freezes again. He recognizes that voice. He was glaring at that voice less than a minute ago. Slowly, Izaya slides his gaze up to find Shizuo staring down at him in concern. _Concern._ That expression has a weird fluttering starting in Izaya’s stomach and he is really sure he’s going to puke if Shizuo doesn’t stop.

“I’m fine. I don’t need your help,” Izaya snaps at him rather than admit that he’s grateful for Shizuo stopping him. He moves to push himself into a sitting position, only to have Shizuo’s arms around him to second he winces from the movement.

“Be careful!” Shizuo tone is worried and Izaya is starting to worry someone will see them and Shinra’s threat of rumors will get even worse. “You went quite a ways. You probably shouldn’t move around too much.” Izaya sighs in exasperation.

“Do you even realize who you just helped? Get off me!” Izaya’s annoyed outburst seems to snap Shizuo out of some sort of trance. His face immediately turns from concerned to annoyed.

“I was trying to be a nice person, asshole!” Shizuo drops his arms from Izaya and he falls back into the snow with a grunt. Pain shoots up his leg from the movement, but he refuses to complain. “Why can’t you just let me help you, huh?”

“Because I don’t need help from a protozoa like you!”

“Well you sure are an ungrateful flea, aren’t you!”

In moments, the two unreasonably angry teenagers are rolling in the snow again. The difference is that this time, rather than trying to stop, they’re fighting each other the whole way. They had each lost one ski in the initial tumble, and Izaya can feel the weight of his last ski being tugged away as they roll through the snow, snarling insults and throwing punches. Even in close quarters Izaya manages to dodge most of Shizuo’s swings, but it’s impossible to dodge them all.

From the top of the slope, Shinra watches on in amusement. Kadota stands next to him, shaking his head.

“Will they ever get along for more than 30 seconds, do you think?”

“Of course they will! They already do.” Shinra’s smile is wide and rather pleased with himself. “This is just a lovers spat, obviously. They’ll get along fine once it’s out of their system.”

“You’re just as insane as those two are.”

“Give it a couple years, and they’ll stop hiding it. I’d bet money on it.”

“Oh yeah? I’ll take that bet.”

“Heh… You’re on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had such a horrible headache yesterday and barely moved so i'm late.... ahhh oh well. if i manage to finish today's as well i might post it too, we'll see. i may not actually finish this this month, but it will be finished, i promise!!


	27. Gifts

If there’s one thing that Izaya will never get used to, it’s holidays and gift giving.

As a child, Izaya’s parents never really did anything for the holidays. Well, that’s not entirely true. They did plenty of things with each other, but rarely did they include their children. Izaya spent every holiday alone or watching his sisters, while their parents use the time as an excuse to do “couple things.” Christmas was one holiday in particular that Izaya knew only as that day mother and father are nowhere to be found.

Even after moving out of the house, Izaya never had anyone to spend the holidays with. He was never really in any lasting relationships, and as such Christmas was spent sitting in cafes and watching all of the couples being gross together.

Then he started dating Shizuo and all of that changed.

Shizuo likes to do all of the Christmas couple things. He likes to take walks together and go out to eat. There are strings of lights up in Izaya’s apartment and candles set all around so they can keep the lights low; “To make it feel cozy,” as Shizuo says. And of course, Shizuo likes to exchange gifts.

This is the part Izaya is the worst at. He’s wonderful at accepting gifts from clients, of course. He has lot of experience with that, and it’s easy because there is little to no emotional investment. No reaction beyond a polite “thank you” and a return gift are expected. That sort of social convention is easy for Izaya to understand and conform to. Not a whole lot of effort needs to go into it, after all.

However, exchanging gifts with someone you care about is completely different. You have to take into account what the person would like and what they might already have. The whole process is entirely more complicated than Izaya would have expected. Izaya ends up having to call Shinra for advice on the subject and suffers through nearly an hour of excited Celty gushing before he gets anything of worth.

In the end, Izaya gets Shizuo something functional: a cow print phone case (one specially made and reinforced so hopefully Shizuo won’t be able to crack it so easily) and a new sweater. Nothing special, really. Besides, it’s the thought that counts, right?

And the look on Shizuo’s face when he opens his gifts is enough to make the whole frustrating process worth it. Izaya didn’t realize that seeing someone genuinely happy about something he had given them could make him feel so warm. It’s a strange feeling for him.

Then Shizuo hands Izaya his gift. It’s in a bag with red tissue paper overflowing from the top. Izaya raises an eyebrow and Shizuo just smiles at him, beaming and excited. Izaya honestly isn’t so sure what Shizuo could have found that made him so excited for him to open it. Izaya knows that he’s difficult to shop for; Shinra has been complaining about it for years after all.

Shizuo is watching intently as Izaya pulls the tissue paper out of the way and reaches into the bag. His fingers brush something soft and Izaya can guess what Shizuo got him.

He’s off only slightly. The thing that he pulls out of the bag is in fact a stuffed animal, but it isn’t the sappy teddy bear with a heart that Izaya expects. No, it’s something far cheesier and far more meaningful.

The stuffed animal Izaya pulls out of the bag is a patchwork cat far more frayed than it’s softness implies. The stitches are messy and uneven, and there at least three different types of fabric. It’s obviously handmade and Izaya can tell Shizuo spent a long time on it.

“...Well? Do you… like it?” Shizuo’s voice, hesitant and slow, snaps Izaya back to the moment. He had been inspecting the cat silently, imagining Shizuo making it for him in secret, doing his best not to get angry when the thread tangled or he poked himself with a needle. Now he looks up at Shizuo, takes in his nervous fidgeting and slightly flushed cheeks indicating embarrassment. How adorable.

Izaya leans over to press a kiss to Shizuo’s cheek. Then he pulls back and hugs the cat to his chest, feeling all the effort Shizuo must have put into it, the self control it must have taken to not break the tools he used to make it. An uncharacteristically gentle smile slides onto Izaya’s face as he thinks about the fact that Shizuo put so much effort into something just for him.

“I love it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will finish this. it's taking a bit longer than i would like but i'm getting there. just a few more to go...


	28. Knitting

“ _‘Take up knitting’_ they said. _‘It will be relaxing’_ they said.” Shizuo growls at the yarn in his hands, tugging at it as he tries to figure out how exactly it became a tangled mess. “Well I don’t know what the _fuck_ is so relaxing about this! I can’t even throw the damn thing because _my hands are stuck!”_

Amused snickering can be heard under Shizuo’s growling, coming from the man curled up on the couch next to Shizuo. His face is mostly hidden by his book, but as he peeks above it it’s easy to see the amusement in his eyes. Shizuo scowls over at him.

“Oh, shut it, Izaya. As if you would do any better.”

“I would at least have more patience.” The dim light from the nearby lamp glints off of Izaya’s reading glasses as he turns his attention back to his book. The soft sound of rustling pages returns and Shizuo goes back to trying to untangle his hands from his mess of yarn. Relative calmness returns as they both get absorbed in their respective tasks, the closeness enough for them at the moment.

They are currently sprawled out on the couch in Shizuo’s tiny apartment. Well, more accurately, Izaya is sprawled out on the couch, with his feet digging into Shizuo’s thigh, while Shizuo sits on the end, just trying to get this damn yarn to work. It’s a rare moment of calmness for them, something Shizuo can’t help but savor, despite his current difficulties. 

The holiday season always means lots of work for both of them, and though Shizuo is grateful for the extra cash, that makes the months of December and January no less exhausting. It’s made even worse by the fact that Izaya is almost busier than he is and so they hardly have time to see each other. With December nearly over however, they are halfway through the busy season. Shizuo knows that January is going to be just as hellish; between the increased amount of people trying to escape their loans and the paranoid housewives trying to figure out why their husband’s didn’t spend Christmas with them, Shizuo and Izaya both are going to be stretched thin.

The stress of that is partly why Shizuo is attempting knitting. He’s heard from multiple people that it can be relaxing, and if he can make something out of it that’s just a wonderful bonus. Handmade gifts are the best kind, after all. Unfortunately, the task is proving much more difficult than Shizuo had hoped.

As he tries to save his hands from the cage of yarn he’s trapped them in - and manages only to get them more and more tangled - Shizuo gets increasingly frustrated. His face has flushed red with anger, and little growls of frustration begin to fill the otherwise quiet room once again. After a few more minutes of this, Izaya finally sighs and sets aside his book.

Shizuo looks up when the jab of Izaya’s heels is removed from his leg. Izaya moves onto his knees on the couch, scooting forward so he can lean over Shizuo’s hands. As Izaya begins to carefully untangle the yarn from Shizuo’s hands, Shizuo finds himself holding his breath. The soft smile on Izaya’s face is easy to miss, but Shizuo manages to catch it all the same.

“Honestly, Shizu-chan. Can you stop making a mess for just five minutes…” The murmur is quiet, almost too low to catch. The affection in Izaya’s voice is almost harder to hear, but Shizuo has gotten used to affection being shrouded in sarcasm and insults.

“Only when you stop making me a mess for five minutes.” Shizuo’s can’t help but smile in amusement as Izaya’s cheeks turn pink. The untangling is interrupted for just a moment as Izaya smacks Shizuo’s arm.

“Shut up, brute. You’re so cheesy.”

Maybe getting his hands tangled is worth it if Izaya is going to help untangle him. Perhaps Shizuo will have to keep at this knitting thing after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will be finished, i swear. the holidays destroyed me and the new term has me busy, but!! i will finish this!! it's almost done after all, i can't abandon it now!!


	29. Power Outage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raijin Era AU

It happened just as they were getting to the best part of the movie. One minute, the main character was about the deliver the final blow, and the next they were plunged into darkness. For a moment, there was silence. Then Shizuo let out a loud, angry curse and said silence was broken.

“What the fuck! I was watching that!”

“Well, obviously Shizu-chan. We all were.”

“Orihara-kun has a point…”

“Oh shut up!”

“It’s not like we can’t finish it when the power comes back on.” Izaya stretches out in his spot on the floor, blindly kicking Shizuo in the process. A grunt of annoyance is all the response he gets, so he continues prodding at Shizuo, already bored with the lack of something interesting going on. “Shinra owns the movie. We can just rewind.”

“I was watching it though…” Shizuo’s pouting doesn’t get any better despite Izaya’s logic. He grabs the offending foot, holding it still but not moving it away. 

“Don’t start, you two.” Shinra’s voice is unnaturally cheerful as always as he carefully pushes himself up. “I’m going to go find a flashlight and some candles and Celty will be angry if you two kill each other and get blood everywhere.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“No promises.”

A sigh floats through the darkness and then Shinra is clumsily making his way to the hall closet. Silence falls over the living room for a moment, as Shizuo and Izaya let their eyes adjust to the darkness. Of course, Izaya never was so good at sitting quietly.

“...Nee, Shizu-chan?”

“Don’t talk to me, flea.”

“Rude.” Izaya’s scoff is amused as he tugs his foot from Shizuo’s grasp and sits up. In the darkness it’s easy to drop his masks a bit, especially after relaxing so much already while watching the movie. Izaya is always restless, but this is the calmest he’s felt around Shizuo in a while. “I was just wondering…”

“I don’t care.” Shizuo’s bluntness is almost as irritating as his very presence. Izaya continues on as if Shizuo hasn’t spoken however, having long ago learned to just keep talking if he doesn’t want to get derailed.

“What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?”

The surprised choking sound that catches so clearly in Shizuo’s throat makes Izaya grin. He wishes that the lights would come back on, just so that he could see the red that is surely blossoming across Shizuo’s face.

“Wh-what?!”

“Well I was just curious, you see.” Izaya keeps his tone casual even as he slowly inches closer to Shizuo’s voice. His eyes have adjusted enough to the dim light from the city outside, but moving carefully in the darkness is still a bit of a challenge. “Shizu-chan is always hanging around with Shinra, and I never see any girls come up to him and all the boys seem to want to fight. But then I thought, ‘Maybe Shizu-chan has a secret sweetheart. Someone he only interacts with on weekends or something. Or someone who fights him just to cover it up…’ You know, like that.”

Even in the half light of the room, it’s easy to see Shizuo’s uncomfortable squirming. Izaya has gotten close, could easily climb into Shizuo’s lap, but waits instead. Seeing Shizuo uncomfortable and flustered is the best and he wants to savor it. Of course because he’s so distracted watching for Shizuo’s every twitch, he nearly misses him mumbling under his breath.

“What? Could you repeat that, Shizu-chan?” The growl Izaya gets in response is priceless.

“I said, shut up! We’re at Shinra’s you idiot! What if he catches us?”

Rather than give an actual response, Izaya instead climbs into Shizuo’s lap, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

“The power is out, and it’s going to take Shinra forever to find candles. Besides, I just asked if you had any plans for Valentine’s Day, not if you wanted to make out on Shinra's couch.”

_“Izaya-!”_

“Please don’t make out on my couch. I’d have to burn it.”

The return of Shinra’s voice has Shizuo tensing in embarrassment and Izaya sighing in annoyance. With a lazy roll of his shoulders, Izaya glares up at Shinra and the candlelight flickering on his too cheerful smile.

“You couldn’t have taken a bit longer getting that? I was about to stab Shizu-chan…”

“It doesn’t take that long to grab the candles, Orihara-kun.”

“Get the fuck off me flea!”

Shinra sets the candle down on the coffee table, watching in amusement as Shizuo tries to remove Izaya from his lap and Izaya makes the whole process as difficult as possible. It’s a hilarious image, the growled curses and laughed taunts just adding to the whole thing. However, Shinra doesn’t really care all that much about the very obvious flirting that goes on between his friends. No, all that he can think of is...

“You guys want to know my plans for Celty on Valentine’s Day?”

“Hell no!”

“Shinra, no one wants to hear about your perverted fantasies.”

“...Well you see, first I’m going to give her flowers...”

By the time the power comes back on, Shinra has explained all of his Valentine’s Day plans in great detail and proceeded to fall asleep sprawled across the floor. Izaya has done everything in his power to annoy Shizuo and gotten a wonderful response, almost knocking over the candle on multiple occasions as he tries to avoid his rampaging monster. Finally they get too tired to go on as well, and Shizuo flops down on the couch to sleep.

And of course, Izaya just can’t resist curling up next to Shizuo on the couch, tucking himself under his arm to keep from falling off. Even if Shizuo does try to kill him for it in the morning, he’s warm now and that’s all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys you deserve so much better than this but I just. am so busy right now. someday i won't be taking 20 credits and i'll have the time and energy to give you more but for now.... take this horrible thing


	30. Singing

Shizuo singing was honestly not something Izaya ever thought he would hear. It’s not that he thought he wouldn’t hear it, of course, it was just not something that ever crossed his mind.

So when he finally does hear it, it comes as a complete shock.

Shizuo’s voice is beautiful. This is the first thought that comes to mind. It seems to alternate between rough and smooth, soothing in all the ups and downs of the melody. His range is bigger than Izaya would have expected considering the rough growl his speaking voice tends to be, the higher notes completely throwing Izaya off guard. The low notes are the ones that really catch his attention however. They are deep and melodious, seemingly effortless even as Izaya couldn’t hope to make his voice that low.

Despite how beautiful Shizuo’s voice is, Izaya is fairly sure he wasn’t meant to hear it. It’s late afternoon and he’s just getting home from coffee with a client, much earlier than he would usually be home, and Shizuo hasn’t heard him come in. Izaya stands quietly in the doorway for a bit, just listening to the baffling sound.

Finally he slowly moves into the apartment, looking around for the source of the music. Shizuo is in the kitchen, bustling around in that stupid cow apron as he does the dishes, clearly in between baking too many sweets and making dinner. There is no music playing; instead, Shizuo is singing by memory, loudly and freely, clearly relaxed. Izaya can’t bring himself to interrupt and ends up just leaning in the kitchen doorway, watching and listening.

This goes on for a good five minutes before Shizuo spots Izaya and cuts off with a strangled sound. Izaya can’t help but smile at the embarrassed color rising in Shizuo’s face as he walks over and takes the slipping plate from the poor brute’s hands.

“Shizu-chan has a really good voice. You should sing more often.” Izaya presses a quick kiss to Shizuo’s cheek before moving to put the plate away, leaving his frozen monster still standing in the middle of the kitchen.

“Shu-shut up, flea.” Shizuo’s voice is an embarrassed croak and his ears are red as he turns back to doing the dishes, doing his best to not break any plates with too much force and only failing twice. Izaya can’t help but laugh at how oddly adorable Shizuo is when embarrassed.

Nor can he help but wonder if he can get Shizuo to sing for him more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright you guys. i've got the last chapter mostly done, and i hope to post it tomorrow. i'm sorry it's taken so long for me to finish this, but you're getting an extra long chapter next as a thank you for sticking with me!! hopefully this and the last chapter can ease some of the pain from the finale as well (i'm still not okay but that's fine)


	31. Family Pictures

It’s spring of Izaya’s last year in high school. The days are getting warmer and longer, and the school year is coming to a close. Cherry blossoms have yet to bloom, but the buds are there, a reminder of beginnings to come. Not that Izaya pays much attention to these reminders, to be honest. No, he’s too busy racing through the gathering students, avoiding the monster on his heels.

“I-za-yaaaaa!” The roar of the monster has gotten closer and Izaya’s legs work fast, propelling him forward through the crowd. The students have started to part for the two of them, used to the protocol after three years of this nonsense that of course can’t pause just because it’s the last day of school. The hallways are busier than usual; more students showed up to class for the last day, despite the high rate of students who skip at Raijin. Receiving their certificate and being in the class photo is apparently still important even to such delinquents.

Izaya doesn’t have time to think about such things however as he sprints back up to their classroom, taking the steps two at a time. A group of girls let out a shriek as he bursts off the stairs and speeds down the hallway, nearly crashing through them. A following shriek sounds off when Shizuo follows close behind but Izaya doesn’t hear it as he’s already turned into their classroom and shot over to his meager protection.

“Dotachin!”

“Izaya… Is Shizuo-san chasing you again?” Izaya has already situated himself in Kadota’s lap, a wide grin on his face as he wraps his arms around his neck. Kadota sighs as the raging Shizuo appears in the doorway, all too used to this routine.

“I~za~ya~kun. Get away from Kadota-san and come let me punch you!” His rage is palpable even from across the room and it sends a shiver down Izaya’s spine.

“You know, Shizu-chan, I’m really going to miss our chases once we graduate. Tell me, will you continue playing with me even when we’re not confined to this tiny school yard?”

“Like hell am I going to bother with you any more than I have to!”

Izaya’s laugh is piercing as he throws his head back, entirely too amused. He already has plans lined up for after he graduates; a few years at university and jobs with the Awakusu already prepared and begun. No matter what Shizuo does however, Izaya is ready to bother him just as much as possible.

“Orihara-kun, you’re making a scene again.” Shinra pipes up as he comes into the classroom as well, patting Shizuo familiarly on the shoulder and earning a growl in return. “You two left chaos in your wake while running through the halls, like usual!”

“It’s not my fault, it’s was the flea.” Shizuo grumbles, shoving Shinra’s hand away. “He’s the one always causing trouble!”

“Oh, Shizu-chan, you wound me!” Izaya cries dramatically, flopping against Kadota as if he would comfort him. “All I ever wanted was your attention. I just want you to notice me, senpai!”

“I’m not your damn senpai!”

“Izaya, can you please get off me. I don’t want to be punched.” Kadota doesn’t look all that concerned, but Izaya gets off him anyway so he can taunt Shizuo more.

Their arguing continues, insults and taunts tossed back and forth as the classroom fills up with students. Finally their teacher comes in and has them rearrange the desks for more space, lining everyone up for their class picture.

“...Do I seriously have to stand next to a flea?”

“Trust me, I don’t want to be so associated with a monster either.”

As the two glare at each other rather than the camera, the people immediately around them begin to lean away. Danger crackles in the air, nearly visible behind Shizuo’s scowl and Izaya’s smile.

“Move over, brute, you’re taking up too much space.”

“Fuck off, flea. I’m standing where Kamoshita-sensei put me.”

“No, you clearly moved. You’re not capable of understanding human instructions I guess.”

“IZAYA!”

The first picture shows a blurred mess of Shizuo attempting to punch Izaya in the face.

The second picture shows clearly Shizuo’s hand in Izaya’s shirt and Izaya’s blade pressed to Shizuo’s throat.

The third picture ends up in the yearbook as the best possible choice. Izaya and Shizuo are on opposite sides of the group, both looking frazzled. Shizuo is glaring forward while Izaya rubs at his quickly bruising cheek, irate frown in place.

It’s the best picture anyone has gotten of them in the three years they’ve known each other.

\----

“Do we have to?”

“You’re the one who wanted to go to Shinra’s New Year’s party, Shizu-chan. You have to deal with the consequences.”

Shizuo hates having his picture taken. This is a fact that has become very obvious over the years, and even more so when he started living with Izaya. Saying that Izaya likes to take pictures would be an over-statement. In fact, he doesn’t have much interest either way. But Shizuo likes to document things, and that means taking pictures of Izaya in all kinds of situations; all of them mostly mundane and pointless to document in Izaya’s opinion, but Shizuo feels it is important. However, Shizuo refuses to have pictures of himself, and so Izaya has taken to getting pictures of Shizuo in secret.

Needless to say, this turned out to be a difficult feat.

However, now Shizuo has been put in a situation where he needs to go stand in front of the camera of his own will and his dislike for it has become even more obvious. Izaya sighs and gives Shizuo a little shove.

“It’s not as if the camera can hurt you. Just go stand in the back and smile.”

“I’m wearing my sunglasses.”

“Like hell you are.”

Shinra wants a group photo. Izaya himself isn’t too keen on the idea, but he also isn’t too keen on Shinra cutting off his ability to have undocumented doctor visits, so he’s willing to comply. Now it’s just a matter of getting Shizuo to cooperate and go stand behind Celty on the couch.

Too bad he’s impossible to move when he’s being stubborn. It’s not like there are even a lot of people who will be in the picture, let alone seeing it. It’s just Celty and Shinra, Kadota, and Shizuo and Izaya themselves. A small get together of old friends, the only ones still awake after the long night of drinks and celebration.

Izaya leans on Shizuo, only slightly intoxicated and annoyed at both Shizuo’s lack of intoxication and his resolute stubbornness. He loops his arm through Shizuo’s and tries pulling instead. “Oh, c’mon! Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“I hate pictures.” Shizuo’s voice is a low growl, quiet and much more considerate of the people passed out on the floor than Izaya’s. (Erika has her feet propped on a chair and her head propped on Walker’s stomach, both under the table along with Togusa, the Ryugamine kid has Kida and the Sonohara girl asleep on either shoulder, the three of them curled up in the corner with Saki in Kida’s lap, Namie is being disgusting all curled up next to her brother and his perpetual attachment of a girl, sprawled out on the floor and blocking the hall) Izaya is past the point of caring, assuming everyone else in the room is beyond caring about a little noise. But that isn’t even relevant right now and it annoys him that Shizuo is even thinking about it.

“But Shinra will never let it go if we don’t take one. Just stop whining and go stand with us.” Izaya’s voice is practically a whine, and by the look on Shizuo’s face it must be grating on his ears. Izaya doesn’t care however as he tugs at him some more.

“...If I get my picture taken, will you shut the fuck up?”

Izaya smiles and stretches up on his toes, pressing a kiss to Shizuo’s cheek. “For ten minutes, I promise I won’t talk. Not a second longer though.”

All the response Izaya gets to that is a small grunt of consent. With that Izaya tugs Shizuo over to the couch, meeting little resistance as he places them behind the couch, Shizuo right behind Celty and himself behind Shinra. Kadota sits next to them and Izaya can’t help but reach over to tug on a bit of hair each, smirking as he gets everyone’s attention.

“It’s just like the class pictures for Raijin, don’t you think? Except Celty is here…”

Shinra laughs. “Yeah, and Shizuo isn’t actively trying to strangle you, Orihara-kun.”

Even Kadota gives a small smile. “Things have definitely calmed down since then. It’s about time, honestly.”

[The four of you have changed a lot since then, haven’t you?] Celty holds up her PDA, tilting her helmet to the side in a gesture of interest. Shinra squeals and pulls Celty into a crushing hug.

“If anything has changed, it certainly isn’t my love for you, my dear, darling Celty! Except maybe to get bigger, but even that is just a growth in something that already existed!”

“Well, that certainly hasn’t changed…” Shizuo’s voice is filled with quiet amusement and Izaya lets out a small breath of a laugh.

“Shinra isn’t capable of real change, Shizu-chan. He’s a perpetual child.”

“Says the perpetual child.” Kadota smiles up at Izaya, one eyebrow raised. “You still start fights just to see what happens. That’s hardly very mature.”

Izaya just shrugs and leans his head against Shizuo’s shoulder, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Oh? And you still hang out in a van with an otaku arsonist, a yaoi fangirl, and a freak with an idol fetish. That’s hardly growth.”

“Izaya, don’t be rude.” A small squeak escapes the raven as Shizuo pushes his head forward, forcing him into the resemblance of a bow. “I don’t know them very well but those are Kadota-san’s friends you’re talking about. Be nice.”

“Haha, that’s certainly a change, for sure.” Shinra’s far too energetic laughter cuts in, interrupting anything Izaya was about to say. “In high school, you would have just thrown Orihara-kun out the window! Pretty amazing how far you two have come.”

Shizuo’s face turns red and Izaya is scowling when he finally gets out of his grip. He gives Shinra’s head a quick flick, ignoring Kadota’s quiet chuckles. “Oh, shut up. We’re not talking about that. None of it is any of your business.”

“Are we going to take this picture or not?” Shizuo’s grumbling is dangerous, a tremor of embarrassment turned anger threatening underneath and everyone snaps back into focus. “If you don’t hurry up, I’m leaving.”

“Right, right!” Shinra turns to face forward again and holds the camera remote out. Izaya quickly fixes his hair and tugs Shizuo closer to him, earning and embarrassed growl in response. “Everyone say cheese!”

\----

Izaya picks up the last framed picture on his desk. He smiles at the memory of it, the smiles and easy comfort of the people around him that night. It’s an odd feeling, the warmth that rises in his chest at the memory. One that, even years later, he isn’t used to.

“Ugh, you still have that thing?” Shizuo flops his arms over Izaya’s shoulders, pushing him forward as Shizuo kneels behind him, letting his weight fall on the smaller man. Izaya just smiles and turns to press a kiss to Shizuo’s cheek on his shoulder. “You know I don’t like having pictures of myself.”

“But this one is so good. And besides, it’s not just of you.” Izaya smiles fondly at the red face of Shizuo in the picture, amused and nostalgic. He can’t remember exactly what he did or said to make Shizuo blush such a brilliant shade but by the shit eating grin on his face in the picture, it was probably something good. He does vaguely remember that night and the conversations around the picture, despite his intoxication at the time. Mostly, though, it’s just a warm blur that ended in being wrapped up in Shizuo under a slowly lightening sky on Shinra’s balcony.

It’s a happy memory, and one that he wants to keep close. He’s not really sure why Shizuo can’t understand that, but it doesn’t bother him much. “I’m keeping it no matter what you say.”

“Fine, fine…” Shizuo consents, nuzzling a bit at Izaya’s neck before moving to stand back up. He pats Izaya’s head, smile clear in his voice. “Finish packing up your desk already though. Celty is going to be here soon to help get it downstairs.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going!” Izaya carefully sets the picture in the box with the rest of his desk things and folds it closed. Lifting the box with him, Izaya stands up and looks around the main room of his apartment. It’s nearly empty, the few belongings marking it as lived in having been packed away in boxes, now stacked by the door. Most of the furniture has been moved over there as well, and he never thought that this room was so big.

December isn’t exactly the best time of year to move, what with how freezing cold it is and how busy the roads are with the holidays, but they had managed to find a new apartment that suited both of their needs and couldn’t wait. Izaya still isn’t fully used to the whole idea of actually owning a place with Shizuo, as their home together, but as his apartment feels emptier and emptier, he can’t help but warm up to the idea.

As he looks around the apartment however, Izaya can’t help but feel a bit sad. He’s lived here for a long time, and his relationship with Shizuo has developed a lot here. All the afternoons they fell asleep curled up in the sun against the window, and all the nights they spent on the couch, watching tv. Their first fight as a couple (and their first round of make up sex) happened in the kitchen (on the counter, Izaya almost fell in the sink), and their first Christmas tree took up the entire corner near the window. So much about who they were together had developed here, and leaving it behind was very bittersweet.

Izaya sets the box of his desk things down with all of the other boxes and stretches his back. This is no time to be feeling sad. They’re moving forward with their lives, and that means leaving some things behind. The place isn’t what matters though. No, not at all. What matters is…

“Izaya.” Golden hair and warm eyes, the sun personified with a gaze that could melt the snow. That’s the image that voice conjures up and it’s the image Izaya gets to wake up to every morning and now it’s going to be the person he has a home with. Izaya turns to greet Shizuo with a faint smile and is met with a blinding flash as his picture is taken.

“Ah, that’s a good one. You’re actually smiling sincerely for once.” Izaya’s smile is gone nearly as fast as it came and is instantly replaced with a pout.

“Hey, no fair Shizu-chan! You can’t just take pictures of me without letting me have a picture of you!” Izaya springs forward, making a grab for the camera. Unfortunately, Shizuo was ready and with his height all he has to do is hold the damn thing above his head and Izaya can’t get at it. Izaya tries for it anyway, practically climbing Shizuo in his quest.

“Alright, alright!” Shizuo finally relents, gently shoving Izaya off him. He lowers the camera down and holds it out to Izaya. “You get one. And then we need to get all this stuff down to the truck.”

“Okay, just- come here!” Izaya grabs the camera then loops his arm around Shizuo’s neck, pulling him close. He turns the camera on them, lining it up as best he can blind. “Smile, Shizu-chan!” The flash goes off and Shizuo is grumbling. Izaya just giggles and keeps Shizuo pulled close as he looks at their picture. 

It’s blurry. Not too blurry though, just blurry enough to show some movement. Izaya’s smile is bright and more genuine than most people ever see. Next to him, pulled close and with an expression of surprise, is Shizuo. His cheeks are tinted pink, but he’s managed a small smile as well, though he’s not looking at the camera. Instead, he’s looking at Izaya, his gaze soft.

“Perfect.” Izaya smiles, turning his head to press a kiss to Shizuo’s lips. “This is going on the fridge at our new place.”

“Oh hell no.” Shizuo’s annoyance is only superficial. Izaya can hear the smile still lingering on his lips as Shizuo wraps one arm around his waist. “The kitchen is the first place everyone walks through. I don’t need everyone seeing pictures of me like that…”

“You can’t stop me, Shizu-chan.” Izaya sets the camera aside on one of the stacks of boxes so he can cup Shizuo’s face in his hands and pull him down for a sweet, slow kiss. “I’m going to have scrapbooks full of pictures of you and when we have people over I’m going to show them off like a doting mother. ‘Look, this is Shizu-chan, my husband, my family… trying to kill me in high school, looking cute on New Years… living with me…’ It will be so great, yknow…?”

“Yeah… I guess.” Shizuo smiles fondly at Izaya as he trails off, pressing another kiss to his lips before pulling away. Their hands intertwine as Shizuo tugs Izaya toward the door to go see if Celty is here yet, and Izaya can’t help but smile at Shizuo’s back.

Yes, Shizuo is his family now. And they are going to have lots of family pictures, whether Shizuo likes it or not. Because they are starting a new adventure together, and Izaya wants to document and remember every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. in the wake of the heart wrenching finale, let's have an adorable, happy finale, yeah?? all i want is for these two to be happy and look, here's 3014 words of there relationship changing and them being happy...!! this one is obviously WAY longer than everything else but it just kind of... kept going... anyway. i hope you all enjoy this, and thank you so much for sticking with me!! i hope to get back into the swing of things and start writing more again, so keep an eye out!!


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